T20 World Cup 2022: [In Pictures] Highs and lows from Team India’s campaign

Team India’s T20 World Cup 2022 journey came to a rather abrupt end as they were bulldozed by 10 wickets in the second semi-final against England in Adelaide on Thursday, November 10. In what was a forgettable performance, the Men in Blue batted first and put up 168/6 on the board. England, however, chased down the target in 16 overs without losing a single wicket.

The loss on Thursday extended Team India’s hunt for an ICC title, which they last won when they lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013. India had a good run in the Super 12 round, winning four of their five games. They beat Pakistan, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, with their only loss coming against South Africa. England, however, exposed their weaknesses in quite a brutal manner.

Looking back at Team India’s T20 World Cup 2022 campaign, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were outstanding with the bat. While the former smashed 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.67 and a strike rate of 136.41, Suryakumar lived up to all the hype around him. He clobbered 239 runs at an average of 59.75 and a stupendous strike rate of 189.68.

With the ball, young left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh was a revelation. He claimed 10 wickets in six games and made an impact both at the start and at the death. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami were also impressive before faltering in the semi-finals. All-rounder Hardik Pandya continued to grow in stature, making key contributions with bat and ball.

On the flip side, openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul led the team down with extremely poor batting efforts. In the spin department, both Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel lacked bite. The Men in Blue also missed Ravindra Jadeja in the field as Team India made quite a few glaring errors.

With Team India’s T20 World Cup 2022 journey coming to an end, here’s a recap of their mixed campaign in pictures:

Arshdeep Singh got Team India’s T20 World Cup campaign off to a flying start, trapping Pakistan captain Babar Azam leg before for a golden duck. He also dismissed Mohammad Rizwan for four and finished with figures of 3/32. Pic: Getty Images

After Babar and Rizwan perished cheaply, Iftikhar Ahmed launched a counter-attack, smashing 51 in 34. His fine knock ended when he was trapped lbw by Mohammed Shami. Pic: Getty Images

Chasing 160 against Pakistan, Team India were in big trouble at 31/4. Despite a century stand between Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, they still needed 48 runs off the last three overs. Kohli then turned it on and played some unbelievable strokes to lift India to an unforgettable triumph. Pic: Getty Images

It was the VK-SKY show against the Netherlands. The duo added an unbeaten 95 for the third wicket as Kohli was unbeaten on 62 off 44, while Suryakumar thumped 51* in 25. Pic: Getty Images

Team India’s batters faltered against South Africa in Perth on a pitch that had pace and bounce. Lungi Ngidi claimed four of the first five Indian wickets to fall as the Men in Blue lost half their side for 49 inside nine overs. Pic: Getty Images

Suryakumar Yadav was the only Indian batter who passed the Proteas pace test in Perth. He scored a high-class 68 off 40 balls to give some respectability to the Indian total. Pic: Getty Images

Arshdeep Singh’s two early strikes gave Team India hope of defending a total of 133 against South Africa. However, half-centuries from Aiden Markram and David Miller lifted the Proteas to a hard-fought victory. Miller was particularly harsh on Ravichandran Ashwin, who ended the game with figures of 1/43 from his four overs.

KL Rahul hit form with 50 off 30 against Bangladesh, a knock which included three fours and four sixes. Pic: Getty Images

In the field, Rahul (not in picture) affected a brilliant run-out via a direct hit that ended Litton Das’ spectacular innings. The Bangladesh opener clubbed 60 off only 27 balls. His dismissal, however, proved to be the turning point in the game as Team India fought back. Pic: Getty Images

Bangladesh needed 20 runs to win in the last over of the game against India. Nurul Hasan struck Arshdeep Singh for a six and a four. But the young left-arm seamer held his nerve as Team India sneaked home by five runs (D/L method). Pic: Getty Images

Suryakumar Yadav was at his innovative best against Zimbabwe. He slammed six fours and four sixes in yet another display of 360-degree hitting in his 61* off 25 balls. Pic: Getty Images

Defending a total of 186, all the Indian bowlers chipped in as Zimbabwe were bundled out for 115. Ashwin claimed three, while Pandya and Shami helped themselves to two apiece. Pic: Getty Images

Virat Kohli scored his fourth half-century of the T20 World Cup 2022 the semi-final against England. However, he was dismissed for exactly 50 off 40 balls, just when Team India were hoping for him to accelerate. Pic: Getty Images

Hardik Pandya, who had a mixed tournament with the bat, lifted himself in the semis and played an extraordinary knock, cracking 63 in only 33 balls with four fours and five sixes. His knock took the team to a competitive total of 168/6. Pic: Getty Images

Team India’s bowlers were completely listless in their semi-final against England as Alex Hales (86* off 47) and Jos Buttler (80* off 49) went on the rampage. Their record 170-run unbeaten stand knocked India out of the World Cup. Pic: Getty Images