India achieved a milestone when they scored 209 in their match against Namibia in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Feroz Shah Kotla (Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi on Thursday, February 12. This was their third-highest score in the history of this tournament, and was largely due to the blistering 61 scored by Ishan Kishan at the top of the order.
The opener-wicketkeeper, who took just 24 balls to score his runs, was also on fire against Pakistan on Sunday, scoring 77 off just 40 balls. A lower-order assault by Hardik Pandya, who scored 52 off 28 deliveries, also helped India’s cause. This was, incidentally, only the fourth time that India crossed the 200-run mark in the T20 World Cup. Their highest score is 218-7 against South Africa in Durban in the inaugural edition of the tourney in 2007, famous for Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes off Stuart Broad.
Against the Namibians, the Indians seemed close to breaking this record, but unfortunately, a lower-order collapse prevented them from doing so. Their second-highest total is 210-2 against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in the 2021 edition of the tournament. Pandya returned to pick up two wickets against Namibia on Thursday, and assisted by Varun Chakaravarthy’s three, India sailed home comfortably by a gargantuan margin of 93 runs.
These are the highest scores recorded by India in the T20 World Cup:
- 1. 218/4 vs England – Durban, 2007
- 2. 210/2 vs Afghanistan – Abu Dhabi, 2021
- 3. 209/9 vs Namibia – Delhi, 2026
- 4. 205/5 vs Australia – Gros Islet, 2024
- 5. 196/5 vs Bangladesh – North Sound, 2024
