New Delhi: Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma bludgeoned the South African bowling attack, forcing the hosts to submission with unbeaten centuries to power India to a thumping 135-ruin victory in the 4th and final T20I at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. It was a perfect victory to cap off a stunning year for India in T20Is which saw the Men in Blue smash records and scale new heights in the shortest format.
The T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in the Caribbean was the cherry on the cake as India enjoyed a phenomenal 2024 in T20Is, losing just two out of the total of 26 matches played. Their attacking approach with the bat and disciplined performances with the ball saw India bag victories one after another against the best in the world to make 2024 a year to remember.
India’s near-invincible year in T20Is
It was a near-invincible year for India in T20Is as they lost only twice in a total of 26 matches, including two Super Over wins. India started their T20I campaign with a 3-0 clean sweep of Afghanistan at home which included a thrilling Super Over victory in the 3rd and final encounter in Bengaluru. The Men in Blue went on to lift their 2nd T20 World Cup title unbeaten before suffering their first defeat of the year against Zimbabwe.
It was a second-fiddle Indian team, playing a week after their T20 World Cup victory, that went down against the hosts in Harare before bouncing back to claim the three-match series 2-1. India clean swept Sri Lanka and Bangladesh 3-0 apiece before winning the recently concluded 4-match series against the Proteas in South Africa 3-1 to complete a remarkable year.
India clinched 22 outright victories in 26 completed T20I matches while winning two games in Super Overs against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. India also became the first team in T20 World Cup history to win the tournament while remaining unbeaten, highlighting their remarkable domination in the shortest format.
Highest win percentage in a calendar year in T20Is
Thanks to their incredible domination in the shortest format in 2024, India ended the year by smashing the record for the highest win percentage by any team in T20Is in a calendar year. India’s 22 wins in 24 matches meant they finished with a win percentage of 92.31, the highest for any team in a calendar year, bettering Pakistan’s 89.47 in 2018 when they won 17 out of 19 T20Is played in the year.
While India have the best-ever win percentage in a calendar year in T20 internationals, their record of 92.31 is only bettered by Tamil Nadu in T20 cricket overall. Tamil Nadu won 15 out of 16 matches in the Indian domestic circuit in 2021 to record a win percentage of 93.75 (minimum 15 matches played) which remains the highest by any team in a calendar year in T20 cricket.
India’s method to madness in T20Is
India’s aggressive intent with the bat played a key role in their domination in T20Is in 2024. While skipper Rohit Sharma often set the tone at the top during the T20 World Cup 2024, Sanju Samson has continued in similar fashion in his new role as an opener after Hitman’s retirement from the shortest format. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya have played their parts in embracing the team’s method to madness.
Indian batters hit a boundary every 4.68 balls in T20Is in 2024, the second-best by any team behind only Australia’s slightly better boundary rate of 4.39 balls per boundary. The Indian batters hit a six every 12.19 balls, the fourth-best six-hitting rate by any team in T20Is in a calendar year. Indian batters scored as many as seven centuries in T20Is this year, the most by any team in a calendar year.
Sanju Samson scored three tons while Tilak Varma scored two. Rohit, Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma slammed a century apiece. Every time a batter scored a hundred, India managed to cross the 200-run mark, showcasing their hunger with the bat which was the catalyst behind their stunning run in T20Is in 2024.
India enjoyed stunning success in T20Is in the year 2024, smashing records while also claiming their 2nd T20 World Cup title. The Men in Blue capped off a phenomenal year with a 135-run thrashing of South Africa in the 4th T20I on Friday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
