Highest Opening Partnership for India in T20 World Cup

Highest opening partnership with India in T20 World Cup

Team India became the first team to win the T20 World Cup in the inaugural season when they won the 2007 T20 Championship. It was a defining moment in the history of Indian cricket. Because after that India also won the ODI tournament in 2011 and the championship trophy in 2013.

The Men in Blue have always been blessed with some of the best top-class batsmen in the history of cricket. As for the T20 World Cup, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were the first opening pair to take charge in their first match against Pakistan. These players include KL Rahul, Ajinkya, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan who opened the Indian cricket team brilliantly.

Hence, in this article, we will discuss the key opening partnerships of India in the T20 World Cup.

3. Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma (77) against Ireland in the 2009 World Cup.

It was the 12th match of the 2009 World Cup between India and Ireland in Nottingham. During the toss, MS Dhoni won the toss but MS Dhoni decided to bowl first. The Irish batting line-up found it very difficult to play against the Indian bowling. And that's what happened in the end, with Ireland only able to score 112/8 in their 20 overs.

Zaheer Khan took 4/19 wickets while playing while Pragyan Ojha took two wickets while playing. Chasing the target, India got off to a good start and registered their third-best opening partnership. Both Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir added 77 runs in 10.5 overs to help their team close to the target. The Men in Blue bowled out the target with 15.3 overs and won the match by eight wickets. Rohit was unbeaten on 52* while Gambhir made 37 runs.

2. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (136) against England in the 2007 World Cup.

It remains one of the best matches in T20 World Cup history. Yuvraj Singh remembered this match when he smashed Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over. But the fact is that both the Indian games gave India a good start. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir added 136 runs for the first wicket in 14.4 overs to lay the foundation.

Then came Yuvraj and just took the game away. Sehwag scored 68 for 52 in that partnership and Gambhir's 58 off 41 balls. The men in blue scored 218/4 in 20 overs. England also batted well but it was a big target to chase and they lost the match by 18 runs.

1. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul (140 runs) vs Afghanistan in T20 2021.

India did not have a great campaign in the last T20I World Cup in UAE 2021. During the toss, Zaheer Khan won the toss. They looked in top opposition mode to trouble the openers of the Indian team. Pragyan Ojha took two wickets while bowling in this match.

They added 140 runs for the first wicket in just 14.4 overs. Rahul's 69 off 48 and Rohit's 74-ball 47. India posted 210/2 in their 20 overs. Afghanistan regularly chased the target and lost wickets. So they could only manage 144/7, giving India a 66-run win. This was India's highest partnership in World Cup history.

List of Highest 1st Wicket Partnership in T20 World Cup for India

Batsmen	Runs	Against	Venue	Year
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul	140	Afghanistan	Abu Dhabi	2021
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag	136	England	Durban	2007
Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma	77	Ireland	Nottingham	2009
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag	76	New Zealand	Johannesburg	2007
Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma	59	Bangladesh	Nottingham	2009
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag	54	Pakistan	Dhaka	2014