Ever since T20 cricket came into existence, batters have dominated bowlers like anything. They have become more fearless, taking on varied bowling attacks with clever hitting.
Over the years, we have seen many batters dazzle the field with mesmerising knocks. They have showcased their batsmanship by building impressive innings.
Here we’ll look at the 5 best batting performances in T20I cricket.
Virat Kohli (India): 82* vs Australia, 2016
With a target of 161 to take down, India’s chase master Virat Kohli brought the best out of him. Kohli started with a couple of boundaries entering the chase on 24 for 1.
But he took a cautious approach as India lost a couple of more wickets, putting them in a critical spot on 49 for 3. The right-hander kept rotating the strike and was quiet for long until the game entered death overs.
With 39 needed off 18, Kohli took on James Faulkner, smashing him for 2 fours and a six on consecutive balls. In the next over, he slammed Nathan Coulter-Nile for 4 boundaries, bringing down the equation to 4 required off 6.
MS Dhoni finished the game with a four, with Kohli standing unbeaten on 82 off 51 on the other end. King Kohli’s knock helped India advance to the semi-final of the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Watch Kohli’s innings here.
Also Read | 5 Best Batting Performances of Virat Kohli in T20 World Cup
Yuvraj Singh (India): 58 vs England, 2007
During the 2007 T20 World Cup match, Yuvraj Singh ran riot in just 16 balls. India were 155 for 3 in the 17th over.
The Men in Blue were looking to finish their innings on a strong note, and Yuvraj walked into bat. He hit a four to Chris Tremlett in the 17th over and 2 fours to Andrew Flintoff in the next over.
Yuvraj had a run-in with Flintoff after the 18th over, for which poor Stuart Broad had to pay the price. Broad bowled the 19th over and conceded 6 sixes at the hands of Yuvraj, who completed his fifty off 12 balls.
He fell to Flintoff in the next over, but not without hitting the England all-rounder for a six. Yuvraj smashed 58 runs off 16 balls at a mind-blowing strike rate of 362!
Watch Yuvraj’s 6 sixes here.
Glenn Maxwell (Australia): 145* vs Sri Lanka, 2016
Before September 2016, Glenn Maxwell hadn’t opened a T20I innings for Australia. But in the first T20I match against Sri Lanka, he was forced to open their innings in the absence of regular opener Aaron Finch, and he made it a memorable outing.
Maxwell guided through the first few balls cautiously before opening his wings. He took on Suranga Lakmal, hitting him for 3 fours.
Later, the Australian all-rounder charged on Suchithra Senanayake and Thisara Perera, taking them to the cleaners. Maxwell reached his fifty in 27 balls, further smashing Kasun Rajitha and Sachith Pathirana for plenty of boundaries.
In no time, Maxwell scored his maiden T20I hundred off 49 balls. He further amplified his attack and remained unbeaten on 145 runs while batting as an opener for the first time.
Michael Hussey (Australia): 60 vs Pakistan, 2010
When things start going down, suddenly a hero comes out and saves his people. It sounds like a movie script, but this happened in reality when Michael Hussey emerged as Australia’s messiah while chasing 192 runs.
It was the second semi-final against Pakistan in the 2010 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan looked set to cruise to the final. Australia were struggling at 105 for 5 when Hussey came to bat.
Initially, he indulged in rotating the strike. But as a set Cameroon White fell in the 17th over, followed by another in the next over, Hussey shifted his gears.
Hussey smashed Saeed Ajmal for a six and Mohammad Amir to bring the equation down to 18 needed off 6. Ajmal had the ball in hand to defend the runs, but Hussey made a mockery of his bowling.
Hussey swung the match in Australia’s favour by smashing Ajmal for six, six, four, and six. He remained not out on 60 off 24, with 3 fours and 6 maximums coming at a strike rate of 250.
Watch Michael Hussey’s knock here.
David Miller (South Africa): 85 vs Pakistan, 2021
Just like Michael Hussey, South Africa’s David Miller put on a rescue act against Pakistan in 2021, although while batting first. South Africa were in a tricky situation at 46 for 5 and further slumped to 65 for 7.
Miller had only tail-enders left to pull out his team from the muddle. He embraced the role well, finding occasional boundaries to get back South Africa on track.
The Proteas were heading towards a decent total, but then Miller swung his bat, scoring crucial boundaries in the death overs. In the 20th over, Miller smacked 4 sixes to Faheem Ashraf to take South Africa’s total to 164.
Despite Miller’s 85 off 45 balls knock, South Africa couldn’t defend the total and lost the match by 4 wickets.
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