To earn the title of world champions is one thing, but to then put together performances to fit that bill is completely another. At the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur on Friday night, Suryakumar Yadav’s Indian team did exactly that, as they made a statement of intent with a clinical, commanding showing that shoots a warning to every team preparing to participate in next month’s T20 World Cup.
Chasing down 209 on a batter’s paradise, India took just 15.2 overs to overcome the target, winning by 7 wickets and shattering several records along the way thanks to good defensive bowling and a pair of terrific innings by Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
For T20I matches involving full member nations of the ICC, this now stands alone as the quickest chase of a total in excess of 200. Accomplished in 92 balls, it stands four deliveries quicker than Pakistan’s chase of 205 against the Kiwis in Auckland last year, and five deliveries quicker than Australia in the West Indies when they hauled down 215.
India’s joint-highest chase
This also stands as the sixth time India have chased down a 200+ total in a T20I, having previously never done so any quicker than 18.4 overs. It is also the first time India have chase down 200+ since November 2023 against Australia, with these two chases of 209 standing joint-first as the highest successful chases by the team in this format.
On an individual level, Ishan Kishan played a whirlwind knock of 76(32) to lay the foundation for the massive chase. His effort broke Abhishek Sharma’s two-day old record for India’s fastest half-century against New Zealand. Only two players in international cricket have scored faster fifties against the Kiwis, with David Warner and Iftikhar Ahmed both taking 20 balls respectively.
Suryakumar and Kishan’s stand off 122 off 48 deliveries also stands as India’s fastest in terms of partnership run-rate for any stand of 120+ runs, at 15.75, outdoing SKY and Sanju Samson’s 173-run stand vs Bangladesh in 2025. Amongst all full member nations, Yadav and Kishan are behind only David-Owen for Australia vs WI, and Buttler-Salt vs SA in Manchester in the famous 300+ match.
Night to forget for Zak Foulkes
An unfortunate record was also set by Zak Foulkes, who was massacred in his 3 over spell for 67 runs. In his 18 deliveries, he conceded 10 fours and three sixes, and breaks Lizaad Williams’ unwanted record of most runs in a three-over spell in T20I cricket. His economy of 22.33 also unsurprisingly stands as the highest for any 3+ over bowling performance in a full member T20I match.
After Kishan’s 76 and Suryakumar Yadav’s 82*(37), India take a 2-0 series lead and have looked utterly comfortable with the bat in hand. The rest of the series will be used to iron out wrinkles, but this is the sort of statement performance that will send a shiver down the spine of opposing teams heading into the World Cup.
