T20 World Cup 2022: Top 3 individual batting performances by India

India were defeated by England in the semifinals of the recently concluded T20I World Cup. The Men in Blue were defeated by a margin of 10 wickets as England made short work of the semifinals on November 10 at the Adelaide Oval.

Despite the resounding defeat, India had a fairly good campaign in the build-up to the knockouts. They won a tight game against arch-rivals Pakistan and ended the Super 12s as group winners, emerging victorious in four out of five games.

In this article, we will take a look at three top performances by Indian batters in the recently concluded T20I World Cup Down Under.

#1 Virat Kohli - 82*(53) vs Pakistan

Having scored his last century back in 2019 prior to the Asia Cup, many cricket fans shared the sentiment that Virat Kohli is no longer the player he used to be. Some even felt aggrieved that he was blocking the path for a youngster to shine for India.

King Kohli responded with the bat as he had a successful outing in the Asia Cup in the lead-up to the World Cup. This included a century against Afghanistan. At the World Cup, Kohli reserved his best for India's biggest game.

Up against Pakistan in a tense match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India were all but out of the running, chasing a total of 160. Kohli structured his innings to perfection as he paced it with immaculate precision, ripping apart Pakistan's best bowlers at will.

With India needing 28 runs in eight balls, Kohli hit Haris Rauf for two incredible sixes to keep India alive in the game. He finished with an unbeaten score of 82 from 53 deliveries on a difficult batting pitch to take India home and deliver the unlikeliest of victories.

---

#2 Suryakumar Yadav - 68(40) vs South Africa

SKY, as he is fondly known to his fans, has been in sensational form this year. He has delivered for India in white-ball cricket regardless of opposition or venue. He marked his international debut last year by hitting England's famed pacer Jofra Archer for a six off his very first delivery in international cricket.

Coming into the T20I World Cup, Suryakumar carried his fiery form into the tournament. He scored quickfire half-centuries against The Netherlands and then South Africa.

The innings against the Proteas had India struggling at 49/5 at one point. SKY's counter-attacking cricket allowed India to post a respectable total of 133, with the Mumbai Indians man scoring 68 runs alone. India eventually lost the game.

---

#3 Hardik Pandya - 63(33) vs England

Hardik Pandya walked into the T20I World Cup confident of his skills to deliver on the big stage. He seemed unabashed by both praise and criticism and was settled in his own zone, ready to deliver for the team, when they needed him the most.

Up against England in a tense semifinal, Pandya went into bat with India stuck at 75/3 in the 12th over. Knowing that losing another wicket could trigger a collapse, the Gujarat Titans captain steadied the ship with a slow start (13 runs in 15 balls).

He made up for the lost deliveries as Pandya raged war against the English bowling in the final four overs. He hit his next 50 runs in just 18 deliveries. The Indian all-rounder smashed the likes of Sam Curran and Chris Jordan around the park to propel the team to a much-needed score of 168.