India nearing their 100th T20I: Comparing Team India’s T20 journey with Tests & ODIs

Team India defeated Bangladesh in their last round-robin match of the Nidahas Trophy 2018 to make it to the final. It happened to be their 98th T20 International and the final against either Bangladesh or hosts Sri Lanka in Colombo on Sunday, March 18, will be their 99th. The Men in Blue’s 100th T20I is still a few months away (against Ireland in June) but there is no doubt that India have recorded quite an eventful history in the shortest format of the game and continue to be a force to reckon with in world cricket.

100 T20Is in less than 12 years

India will be playing their 100th T20I in less than 12 years since beginning to play this particular format in December 2006 in South Africa. It was not that this particular format was popular in India initially and some of their senior players even refused to play the inaugural T20 World Cup which was held in South Africa in September 2007.

That world tournament where India played a young team under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the team’s second commitment in T20I (nine months after the first game) which says how indifferent they were towards this particular format. But as we all know, India went on to win the tournament and it came only six months after their humiliation in the 50-over world cup played in the West Indies.

India most successful T20 side after Afghanistan

It marked a new revival of Indian cricket and India never looked at T20 in the same way again. The Indian Premier League started the very next year and today, India are the second-most successful team (62.24) in T20Is after Afghanistan (65.07) in terms of success percentage.

Six nations have played 100 or more T20Is so far and India will be the seventh. Only Pakistan have won more matches (74) than India (61). India lost 35 games while two were inconclusive. In a game against Pakistan in the 2007 T20 World Cup, India won it in a bowl-out despite tying the game.

In terms of success, India have already registered some memorable wins abroad in T20Is. Besides the 2007 world cup in South Africa, India have hammered Australia 3-0 Down Under besides defeating South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in their respective dens. Also, having played 100 games in less than 12 years means they have participated in an average of eight matches a year. So, both in terms of quantity and quality, India’s first decade or so in T20 format has been impressive.

Comparing the journey in T20Is and Tests: Chalk and cheese

Compare this with India’s record in first 100 Tests. They had started their journey as a Test side in 1932, way before they got their independence, and went on to play their 100th Test in 1967, taking 35 years and a month precisely.

But the worse part is that India could win only 10 of their first 100 Tests, lost 40 and drew 50 (success percentage of 10). India’s first-ever victory in Tests had come 20 years after debut when Vijay Hazare’s men defeated the touring English side led by Donald Carr by an innings and 8 runs in Chennai. India’s first series win in Tests came in 1955-56 when they defeated New Zealand 2-0 in a five-game series at home.

India’s record after the first 100 Tests put them at a poor seventh rank with only New Zealand holding a worse record than them. Also, having played the longest format for over 85 years now, India are yet to defeat Australia and South Africa in their dens and their best performances have been holding on to draws in a few series. It’s just the reverse script of the T20I scenario.

India’s first 100 ODIs: Nothing extraordinary

In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), too, India have been late learners. They started playing the 60/50 overs format in 1974 and struggled in the initial days. Like in the T20I format, they also joined the ODI format soon after making their debut but unlike in T20I where they won the inaugural edition, India were hammered in the ODI world cups in the beginning.

In their first-ever game in the ODI world cup in 1975, India seemed to be playing for a draw as they went down to England by 202 runs with 7 wickets in hand! India played their 100th ODI against Australia in 1986-87 at home which the visitors won by 3 wickets. Of the first 100 ODIs, India won 40, lost 56 while four had no result (success percentage of 40). India nevertheless registered themselves as world champions in this period by winning the World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev.

They took 12 years to play their first 100 games through their subsequent 100 games (total 939 till date) were completed between three to five years. Their last two sets of 100 games took four years to complete owing to the popularity of the T20I format which is now featuring regularly in the Men in Blue’s itinerary.

So, what makes India’s initial T20I history more colourful compared to those in Tests and ODIs?

The first reason is, of course, the batting standards. Being a batting powerhouse, India were always favourites to do well in the shortest format which is batsmen-friendly. And as the T20 culture got an initial boost through the world championship victory in 2007 and got more and more entrenched in their cricketing circles, thanks to the emergence of tournaments like IPL, the number of hard-hitters went on increasing, strengthening the side more as a formidable T20 unit.

The second reason is the rise as a bowling power. This is one area where their lack of potential as a team denied them success in the initial years in the Test and ODI formats, especially in games abroad. But now, thanks to better exposure, their bowling has come of age and this has made them a better all-round team. And since India’s rise as a cricketing nation coincided with the popularisation of the T20 format, the effects on the records could be seen straight away.

The Dhoni factor

Another important factor which helped India to start off well in the T20 format is the prolonged leadership given by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The man has led India in 72 of the 98 T20Is they have played since 2006, winning 41 of them. This long and stable leadership given by Dhoni, a superb limited-over player himself, set a rich legacy for the successive captains to follow. Besides, the IPL has also helped India nurture more captaincy candidates like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina who have also risen to occasions to lead India in T20Is successfully. This strong foundation provided by Dhoni and IPL have helped India’s overall performance as a T20 side.

In Tests, on the contrary, India saw as many as eight captains in their first 56 matches and they could win only five of them. It shows how instability at the helm can affect a side’s performance on the ground.

In ODIs too, India saw three captains getting changed within a span of 13 games and it was only under captains like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni that India did better. Dhoni’s effect could be felt in the Tests and ODIs too as he still continues to be the longest-serving and most successful captain in these formats as well for India (27 wins in 60 Tests and 110 win in 199 ODIs including a world cup in 2011). The Dhoni captaincy era had indeed transformed India from a potentially good side to a real performing side and his successors are building on the platform that he had provided.

For all the latest cricket news and other details follow CricTracker.