Team India became the second team to play 200 or more matches in the T20I format. The Hardik Pandya-led Team India entered the record books as soon as they stepped on the field at Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad, on August 3.
India's arch-rivals Pakistan are on top as they have played 223 T20Is. India are followed by New Zealand (193), Sri Lanka (179), West Indies (180), Australia (174), England (173), South Africa (168), Bangladesh (152), Ireland (152), Zimbabwe (123) and Afghanistan (115).
India’s first-ever T20I
India played their first-ever T20I against South Africa in 2006. Under Virender Sehwag's captaincy, India beat Graeme Smith's South Africa in Johannesburg by six wickets with one ball to spare. Dinesh Karthik was named 'Player of the match' for his unbeaten 28-ball 31.
India’s T20I record
In more than 16 years of T20I cricket, India have won 127 T20Is, lost 63, four were tied, and decided in super over whereas five could not yield a result. In 2007, India also became the winner of the inaugural T20 World Cup champions under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni after beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the thriller of a final.
Two debutants in milestone encounter
In India's 200th T20I, pacer Mukesh Kumar and middle-order batter Tilak Varma made their debuts. Mukesh also became the second Indian cricketer to make Test, ODI and T20I debuts in the same tour. Earlier, T Natarajan did it in India's tour of Australia 2020/21. Natarajan would not have made his Test debut if not for Covid-19 restrictions and several injuries in the camp.
“That was the whole plan for this tour as well. We might be coming here to play the World Cup. Some players might get a chance to play here. By the time we come here next time, we'll be prepared. I try to keep things simple. For me it's about improving. I focus on processes. You might have some losses and failures, I am okay with it. It's all about challenging ourselves. Umran, Bishnoi miss out. We are playing three spinners,” Pandya said after India lost the coin toss and were asked to bowl first by West Indies skipper Rovman Powell.
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