Rahul Dravid Head Coach of India is lifted up by the team after India won the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 Final (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
India rose to unprecedented heights in T20I cricket in 2024. They were by far the most dominating unit in the format losing just two matches in the calendar year. No team has won as many bilateral series as India this year. India’s crowning moment in 2024, was, of course the ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean/USA.
RG looks back to the glorious year that was 2024 for India in T20 cricket.
The 2024 T20 World Cup Title
India ended their ICC trophy drought and defeated South Africa in a thriller of a final at Barbados to lift their second T20 World Cup trophy. India were, by some distance, the best team of the marquee tournament and did not lose a single encounter in the competition.
Skipper, Rohit Sharma led from the front and was India’s leading run-getter with an aggregate of 257 runs in eight innings at a stunning strike rate of 156.7. His exploits included three fifties. Rohit continued with this attacking template in the powerplay and had a scoring rate of 148.1 in the first six overs.
Jasprit Bumrah was the outstanding bowler of the tournament and returned with 15 wickets in eight matches at a strike rate of 11.86 and economy of 4.17. He was sensational with the new ball and at the death and conceded just 4.07 and 4.37 runs per over respectively in these phases of play. Arshdeep Singh was the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 17 dismissals.
India lifted their first ICC title since the 2013 Champions Trophy win in England.
The best win-loss ratio
India won 22 of the 26 T20Is it played in the calendar year and lost just two. It also played out two ties (one each against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka) securing victory in both in the Super Over. In essence it meant that India won 24 of the 26 T20Is it played in 2024. India’s win-loss ratio (of 12) and win percentage of 92.3% was not only the best for any top 10 team in 2024 but also the highest for any major team in any calendar year in T20I history! Pakistan won 17 (and lost two) of their 19 matches in 2018 for a win percentage of 89.47% and win-loss ratio of 8.5 – the previous best numbers for a top 10 nation. India won five bilateral series in 2024 – one each against South Africa, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The highest T20I score for a major Test playing nation
India blasted a mammoth 297/6 in the third T20I against Bangladesh in Hyderabad in October. It was the third highest team total in T20I history and the highest by a major Test playing nation. India smashed 152 runs in the first half of their innings which was the third-highest team score after the first 10 overs in T20I history. Sanju Samson was the star performer with the bat for India and hammered 111 off just 47 deliveries.
A month down the line, India created history again by smacking 283/1 against South Africa in Johannesburg. It was the fifth-highest team score in T20I history and the second-highest by a major cricket playing nation. Tilak Varma produced a sublime unbeaten 120 off 47 deliveries while Samson again rose to the occasion with an undefeated 109 off 56 deliveries.
Thus, within a pace of barely a month, India had broken the record for the two highest T20I totals by a top 10 team in the format’s history!
India breached the 200-run mark as many as 9 times in 2024 – the most for them in a calendar year. They had crossed 200 on 7 occasions in 2023. In fact, no team has recorded more 200-plus totals in any calendar year than India in 2024.
India’s rise in scoring rate
Post their early ouster in the 2021 T20 World Cup, India, led by Rohit Sharma, adopted an all-out attacking template going on the offensive in the powerplay. The idea was to maximize the fielding restrictions and score as many as possible in the first 6 overs. India’s run-rate increased from 8.2 in 2021 to 9.2 in 2022 & 2023 and went up a notch further to 9.6 in 2024 – it is the highest scoring rate for them in any calendar year (min. 8 matches). In fact, it is the second-highest run-rate for any team in any calendar year (min. 15 matches) only behind Australia’s 9.74, also in 2024.
There was a direct correlation between India’s aggressive template in the powerplay and success. India’s win percentage increased from 62.5% in 2021 to 70 in 2022. It was 68.2% in 2023 and ended with 92.3% in 2024.
Best bowling average in 2024
The Indian batters were not the only ones to make waves during the year. The bowlers played their part too. India picked 204 wickets in 2024 – the most for any team at an average of 18.18 – the best amongst the major cricket playing nations in the world. They were also very restrictive with an economy rate of 7.35 – again the best in the world amongst the top 10 teams. India’s propensity to pick wickets – as showcased in their bowling strike rate of 14.8 in 2024 – was also the lowest (best) for them in any calendar year. India bowled their opponents out in 10 of their 26 matches in 2024 – the most for any top 10 team in any calendar year! India took 8.39 wickets, on an average in 2024 – the best such ratio for any top 10 team in any calendar year in T20Is.
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
