In this article we take a look at the highest partnerships for India in men's T20Is. Building partnerships is a crucial part of cricket regardless of the format. Over the years, several pairs have put on massive stands in T20Is. There have only been 6 stands of over 200 in T20Is.
Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani’s 236-run stand against Ireland in 2019 remains the highest in the history of the format. The Indian men’s team has also had some brilliant partnerships since they started playing T20Is in 2006.
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Highest partnerships for India in Men’s T20Is
Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh against Afghanistan, 2024
Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh made history on Wednesday after they put on the highest partnership for India in Men’s T20Is. The duo put on a massive partnership of 190 runs for the fifth wicket off 15.3 overs, making sure that India scored 212 for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs.
Rohit and Rinku had a job on their hands after the Men in Blue were reduced to 22 for 4 in 4.3 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube could not enter double digits as Fareed Ahmad and Azmatullah Omarzai ran through the Indian top order.
Rohit made history after he became the first batter to score 5 hundreds in T20Is. He made a slow start before upping the ante to reach his hundred off 64 balls. The 36-year-old batter stayed not out on 121 runs for 69 balls with the help of 11 fours and 8 sixes.
Rinku did not disappoint either as he stayed unbeaten on 69 runs off 39 balls with 2 fours and 6 sixes. India went on to win the match after 2 Super Overs took place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson against Ireland, 2022
Back on June 28, 2022, Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson put their best foot forward against Ireland at The Village in Malahide, Dublin. The duo put on 176 runs for the second wicket off 14.1 overs, helping India post a huge score of 225 for 7 on the board.
Hooda was at his very best and he notched 104 runs off 57 balls with the help of 9 fours and 6 sixes. He came to bat after Ishan Kishan departed cheaply and he did not let his guard down at any stage.
Samson also lent him support, scoring 77 runs off 42 balls while opening the batting with 9 fours and 4 sixes. It was because of Hooda and Samson that the Men in Blue were able to go past the 200-run mark.
Hooda and Samson’s efforts almost went in vain as India won the match by only 4 runs. Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie scored 40 and 60 runs respectively to pose a massive threat to the opposition. George Dockrell and Mark Adair kept Ireland in the game, but could not take them past the finish line.
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KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma against Sri Lanka, 2017
Back in December 2022, 2017, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma went bonkers against Sri Lanka at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The duo put on a huge partnership of 165 runs off 76 balls, helping India post a colossal score of 260 for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs.
It was also the match where Rohit equalled the record of the then fastest hundred in T20Is off 35 balls. South Africa’s David Miller and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekera also made hundreds off those many deliveries. Nepal's Kusal Malla recently broke the record in the Asian Games 2023 match against Mongolia.
Rohit Sharma has 209 sixes as captain from 116 innings in International cricket.
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– The Greatest six hitter ever. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iJ7NFsOMbl
Rahul also played a decent knock of 89 runs off 49 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes before Nuwan Pradeep accounted for his wicket. India went on to win the game by 88 runs after restricting the opposition to 172 in 17.2 overs.
Rohit won the Player of the Match award for his outstanding display of batting. He also holds the record for most hundreds in T20Is.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill against West Indies, 2023
Back on August 12, 2023, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill equalled Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul’s record for the highest partnership in Men in T20Is for India. The duo achieved the feat in India’s T20I against the West Indies at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill.
They put on 165 runs off 93 balls as India beat the Caribbean team by 9 wickets. On the back of their partnership, the Men in Blue chased down a stiff target of 179 with 18 balls left in their innings.
Jaiswal was the star of the show for India after he scored an unbeaten 84 off 51 balls with 11 fours and 3 sixes. He also won the Player of the Match after India made it 2-2 in the 5-match series.
Shubman was on top of his game as well, scoring 77 runs off 47 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes. Jaiswal recently played in the T20I series against Afghanistan and showed a lot of promise.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma against Ireland, 2018
Back on June 27, 2018, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan showed their class as Indian openers in the match against Ireland at The Village in Dublin. After being sent in to bat first, India scored 208 for the loss of 5 wickets. And it was Rohit and Dhawan’s partnership that guided India past the 200-run mark.
Dhawan and Rohit put on 160 runs for the opening wicket off 16 overs. Dhawan scored 74 runs off 45 balls with the help of 5 fours and 5 sixes. Rohit, on the other hand, was unlucky to miss out on his century as he scored 97 runs off 61 balls before Peter Chase accounted for his wicket.
India went on to win the match by 76 runs after restricting the opponents to 132 for nine in 20 overs. Although Rohit played a masterful knock, it was Kuldeep Yadav, who won the Player of the Match award for finishing with figures of 4-1-21-4.
