Men in Blue: On the brink of a massive world record

India vs Scotland (November 5, 2021)
In the ICC tournament, India registered a dominating eight-wicket win against Scotland. Scotland managed to post just 85 runs. India wrapped up the chase in 6.3 overs thanks to KL Rahul’s 50.

India vs Namibia (November 8, 2021)
In the final game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, India registered a crushing nine-wicket win over Namibia. Opting to bowl, Virat Kohli’s men restricted the opposition to 132/8 and then chased down the target in the 16th over itself with the help of Rohit Sharma’s 56 followed by KL Rahul’s 54. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played a vital role and bagged three wickets each.

India vs New Zealand (November 17, 2021)
After the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, India hosted New Zealand for a 3-T20I series. In the first game, the Kiwis posted a total of 164 runs in 20 overs which India managed to chase with the help of Suryakumar’s Yadav 62 not out off 40. Bhuvi and Ravichandran Ashwin managed two wickets each.

India vs New Zealand (November 19, 2021)
In the second T20I against New Zealand, India put up a brilliant show. They chased the 153-run target in the 18th over itself. KL Rahul’s not out 65 off 49 and Rohit Sharma’s 55 not out off 36 helped cruise to the seven-wicket win.

India vs New Zealand (November 21, 2021)
In the final game of the series, India completed a 3-0 series sweep over New Zealand. India posted 184 with captain Rohit Sharma smashing 56 off 31. During the run chase, India’s bowling attack took out the opposition for 111 in the 18th over. Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets, while Harshal Patel added two to his kitty. Rohit was awarded player of the series on his captaincy debut.

India vs West Indies (February 16, 2022)
Following a 3-0 series win against NZ, India faced West Indies and dominated proceedings right from the word go. India chased down the 158-run target in the 19th over itself with Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar all chipping in with vital contributions. Ravi Bishnoi made it a memorable debut picking up two wickets.

India vs West Indies (February 18, 2022)
The second T20I series against West Indies was a thriller where India scored a total of 186 runs, courtesy of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who scored 52 each. West Indies fell agonisingly short of the target, reaching 178 with Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell having registered half-centuries. Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up one wicket each to seal the eight-run win.

India vs West Indies (20th February 2022)
India completed a series whitewash against West Indies in the third and final T20I under the captaincy of Rohit at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Put into bat, India made 184 runs thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s quick-fire 65 off 31. In reply, West Indies ended up 17 runs short despite Nicholas Pooran’s 61 off 47. Harshal Patel was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 3/22 in his four-over spell.

India vs Sri Lanka (February 24, 2022)
After another emphatic 3-0 series win against West Indies, Team India got their campaign against Sri Lanka underway, carrying forward the winning momentum. Opting to bat, India posted 199 thanks to Ishan Kishan’s outstanding not out 89 off 56 along with Shreyas Iyer’s scintillating not out 57 off 28 deliveries. In reply, Sri Lanka could just manage 137 with Venkatesh Iyer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar causing most of the damage taking two wickets apiece.

India vs Sri Lanka (February 26, 2022)
In the second T20I in the same bilateral series, Sri Lanka scored an imposing total of 183 runs that came on the back of Pathum Nissanka’s 75 not out. The target was made light by India as they chased it down in 17.1 overs with seven wickets remaining. Shreyas Iyer once again smashed 74 not out off 34 balls, while Ravindra Jadeja scored not out 45 off 18 balls to help their side cruise to victory.

India vs Sri Lanka (February 27, 2022)
India registered its 12th consecutive T20I win in the third and final match of the bilateral series against Sri Lanka on February 27. With the win, the Men in Blue equalled the record held by Afghanistan and Romania. Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bat. The Islanders set a total of 146 runs in 20 overs. Shreyas Iyer’s fifty stabilized the chase after India lost Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson early in the innings. The Mumbai batsman’s unbeaten 73 along with Avesh Khan’s two wickets helped their side whitewash the series 3-0.