In 2006, India’s cricket team played their very first T20I. It was against South Africa. The game was in Johannesburg. Interestingly, this was during their tour in 2006-07.
Funny enough, the game was planned for Friday, right between the fourth and fifth ODI. This was as the smaller format tried to gain traction. After being beaten in three out of the four ODIs, with one game cancelled, India made a remarkable comeback in the solitary T20I.
In front of a raucous crowd at the Wanderers, the hosts won the toss and batted first. Indian bowlers, on the other hand, devastated the South African batting order with frequent wickets, limiting them to a below-par 126/9 in 20 overs.
In reply, the Men in Blue staggered their way through a sloppy surface before Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 28-ball 31 helped secure the victory by six wickets off the last delivery.
Here are the highlights from India’s first T20I match:
It was also Sachin Tendulkar’s only T20I of his legendary career. Sachin Tendulkar scored 10 runs off 12 deliveries while taking the important wicket of Justin Kemp.
In under twelve months, the team from India, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, secured victory in the first-ever T20 World Cup in South Africa.
The way was paved for the IPL from the next year. Ever since, the tournament got stronger. It is now the world’s best franchise cricket league.
India’s roller-coaster ride in T20 World Cups
India’s team has shown inconsistency in T20 World Cups. They’ve won just one title. They reached the knockout stages only four times out of the eight times they participated.
In the first 2007 tournament, the Men in Blue experienced a fantastic victory. However, from 2009 to 2012, they didn’t make it to the semi-finals in the three subsequent competitions. In the 2014 T20 World Cup, this pattern broke. They made it to the final in Bangladesh, but unfortunately, they faced a bitter defeat, losing to Sri Lanka by six wickets.
In 2016, the Asian powers hosted the World Cup. However, they were unable to capitalize on their home cooking and were defeated in the semi-finals by eventual champions West Indies.
In 2021, the exhausted Indian team had a rough go. They couldn’t make it to the semi-finals. Last year, in the latest tournament, England beat Rohit Sharma team. They lost without scoring a single wicket.
India hopes to duplicate their triumphs from 2007 in the forthcoming T20 World Cup. This event’s in the West Indies and U.S.A next June.