Against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Sanju Samson played an excellent innings which secured India's place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals – but where does it rank among efforts by India players in Men’s T20 World Cup history?
The rankings are the personal sequence of the author.
10. Suresh Raina 101 (60) vs South Africa, Gros Islet 2010
It seems astonishing at the time of writing that Raina is the only male India centurion at the T20 World Cup – and he did it back in 2010, an edition where India had a forgettable performance. Dale Steyn & co. tested him with short-pitched ball when he came to bat in the first over, but once he outlasted them, he tore into Roelof van der Merwe and then Jacques Kallis. He was particularly severe on Rory Kleinveldt, smashing him for four, four, four, six in the 18th over before racing to his hundred in the 20th.
9. Suryakumar Yadav 68 (40) vs South Africa, Perth 2022
The only entry on this list that ended in a defeat, Surya’s Perth fifty came against four fast bowlers on a fast, bouncy track – not traditional T20 conditions – as India slumped to 49-5 at the other end. Yet, he did not try to play himself in: he flicked Anrich Nortje for six in the next over and then picked up boundaries against Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj. He ended up scoring nearly half India’s runs (and the highest score from either side) while facing one-third of the deliveries.
8. Yuvraj Singh 58* (16) vs England, Durban 2007
At 155-3 in the 17th over, India were already in a dominant position when Yuvraj walked out (which is why this innings ranks so low). After 18 overs, they were 171-3 – and Yuvraj on 14 off six balls. It was the six sixes off Stuart Broad in the 19th over that shook everyone up. The onslaught also took him to a 12-ball fifty, then a world record and a benchmark he still playfully reminds his celebrity disciple of.
7. Virat Kohli 72* (44) vs South Africa, Mirpur 2014 (semi-final)
This ranks lower than the two 82s because of the support at the other end. Chasing 173, India were 39-1 in the fourth over when Kohli strode out. The asking rate rose in the middle overs as Ajinkya Rahane and Yuvraj struggled, but Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking through calculated sprints: he played only three dot balls (including the first he faced). With 40 to chase in the last four overs, Kohli switched a gear and sealed the game in the final over.
6. Sanju Samson 97* (50) vs West Indies, Kolkata 2026
While not a knockout, the match was a virtual quarter-final with the associated implications. Chasing 196 – something they had never done at the T20 World Cup – India became 41-2. But Samson assumed control, taking minimal risks and seldom lofting the ball but managing to find the boundary to keep the asking rate in check. He seemed to find the boundary when he wanted to, but at the same time worked out the dimensions of the enormous ground to place the ball, picking up 25 singles while playing only nine dot balls.
5. Virat Kohli 82* (51) vs Australia, Mohali 2016
A near-encore of the 2014 semi-final but for one thing: since the support from the other end was minimal, Kohli had to score at a quicker rate, and the final switch of gear had to be a more drastic, abrupt one. It did come down to 39 in three overs – simple in 2026 but not as much in 2016 – but this was Kohli’s peak, an era when he carried a sense of inevitability. Thus, two fours and a six (an astonishing one over mid-off) off James Faulkner got 19 before he took four fours in Nathan Coulter-Nile’s over.
4. Gautam Gambhir 75 (54) vs Pakistan, Johannesburg 2007 (final)
The first of the two Gambhir World Cup final classics (the other came in the 2011 50-over edition) may seem too slow today, especially after Yuvraj’s twin onslaughts earlier in the tournament. However, in an era when teams were still figuring out how to pace innings in the shortest format, Gambhir saw India through in an innings where Nos.3 to 5 made 28 in 40 balls between them. By the time he fell, India were going at seven an over, prepared for the final onslaught.
3. Rohit Sharma 92 (41) vs Australia, Gros Islet 2024
Rohit’s calm, focused destruction – including four sixes and a four in a Mitchell Starc over – turbocharged India to 93-2 in that crucial game. What makes that score even more spectacular that the two dismissed batters had managed 15 in 19 balls between them. Australia have been hit at global events before and after that day, but seldom with such ruthless yet elegant efficiency. It might not have healed the heartbreak of November 19, but it soothed the wound.
2. Virat Kohli 82* (53) vs Pakistan, Melbourne 2022
Has any other T20 World Cup innings been discussed to this extent? We know the story, of course: India fell to 31-4, but as Hardik Pandya stayed put, Kohli brought the target down to 48 in three overs. India (in other words), took 16 in each of these overs to seal the game. The famous six off Haris Rauf came off the fifth ball of the 19th over, and was followed by another six next ball. India then held their nerves and Pakistan could not in an absurdly eventful over that featured two wickets, a six off a no-ball, a dead ball that hit the stumps allowing the batters to run three, and a wide left alone.
1. Yuvraj Singh 70 (30) vs Australia, Durban 2007
A World Cup semi-final against Australia, the three-time running champions in the longer format who also held the Champions Trophy and had the upper hand against India whenever they faced off. None of that deterred Yuvraj, whose onslaught lifted India from 41-2 in eight overs to 113-2 in 14: of these runs, he made 55. The innings ended Australia’s run at global tournaments, but knocking Australia out of ICC trophies was nothing new to Yuvraj – he had done it at the Champions Trophy seven years ago, and would do it again at the World Cup in four years’ time.
But perhaps as important was the significance of the innings: the IPL had already been announced, but would it have been as big had India not won the World Cup?
