Virat Kohli’s half-century in the 2024 Men’s T20I World Cup final against South Africa was one of the slowest by an Indian in T20Is. Despite this, his innings was crucial as it helped India recover from early difficulties and set a strong score.
This performance was important in helping India win the T20 World Cup 2024, ending their long wait for an ICC trophy. Indian batsmen are known for their impressive records, but some also have less favorable ones.
T20 cricket is known for its fast pace. Today, good conditions often allow batsmen to score quickly and dominate bowlers.
However, there have been many instances where batsmen have taken much longer to score runs, which is usually not acceptable in modern cricket.
This can happen for various reasons, such as losing early wickets, slow pitches, tough conditions, or a strategic plan to extend the game.
Here are the 5 Slowest Half-Centuries Scored by Indian:
1. Gautam Gambhir, BAN vs IND, 2009
In the fourth Group A match of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2009, India played against Bangladesh in Nottingham.
India batted first and made 180 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer with 50 runs off 46 balls, hitting four boundaries. India managed to defend their score, restricting Bangladesh to 155 runs for 8 wickets and winning by 25 runs.
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2. Virat Kohli, SA vs IND, 2024
Virat Kohli scored 50 runs off 48 balls in the final of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which was the fourth-best performance in the game. With India losing early wickets, including Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav, Kohli used his experience to help the team.
He played a key role by scoring 76 runs from 59 balls after taking some time to get settled. India successfully defended their total, limiting South Africa and winning by seven runs. This victory ended an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy. Kohli was named Player of the Match for his great performance.
3. Suryakumar Yadav, USA vs IND, 2024
Suryakumar Yadav scored a not-out half-century from 49 balls, which is the third highest on this list. In their Group A match of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in New York, India bowled first and restricted the USA to 110/8.
Even though India lost Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant early while chasing, Suryakumar Yadav held firm and scored an important fifty. His performance was key in helping India beat a strong USA bowling attack.
India won by seven wickets, reaching the target in 18.2 overs with 10 balls to spare. Known for his aggressive batting, this innings showed that Suryakumar Yadav can also play a steady and supportive role in T20 cricket.
4. Gautam Gambhir, AUS vs IND, 2012
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir is second on the list. This happened during the second T20I between Australia and India on February 3, 2012, in Melbourne.
Australia batted first and got all out for 131 runs in 20 overs. Praveen Kumar and Rahul Sharma each took two wickets for India. India started their chase well but lost Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli early.
Gambhir played well, scoring a fifty from 54 balls. He ended unbeaten on 56 from 60 balls, leading India to win by eight wickets in the final over.
5. KL Rahul, IND vs SA, 2022
KL Rahul holds the record for the slowest T20I fifty by an Indian player. This occurred in the first match of the series against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram in 2022.
India decided to bowl first and restricted South Africa to 106/8. The pitch was difficult for batting, and India managed only 17 runs in the first six overs of their chase.
Despite his struggle, Rahul hit a six that helped India win by eight wickets. He ended unbeaten with 51 runs off 56 balls, just reaching the 50-run mark.
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