Top 5 Slowest T20 Innings by Indian Players: Kohli, Dhoni & Rahul's

T20 is the shortest format of cricket. Moreover, it is the fastest and thrilling format for cricket fans. In T20 matches, each team has 20 overs to play. Therefore, cricket fans expect boundaries, big sixes, and fast runs in the T20 matches. Both teams try to make the maximum number of runs in the minimum number of balls. In T20 matches, there is no place for players who play the slowest T20 innings. In the history of Indian cricket, some players have performed the slowest innings in T20. In this blog, we are going to discuss the Top 5 Slowest T20 Innings by Indians, some players' records and much more.

What Defines a Slow T20 Innings?

In simple words, the slowest innings in T20 are considered when the batsmen make fewer runs on the maximum number of balls. Moreover, the slowest innings in T20 can happen for many reasons, like amazing bowling spells by the team, high-pressure matches and tough pitches. Therefore, some top Indian cricketers played the slowest T20 innings in their careers, which are listed below:

List of Top 5 Slowest T20 Innings by Indians Played By Indian Batsmen

Before jumping into the individual innings, let’s have a look at a quick comparison of the slowest T20 innings played by the Indian batsmen in cricket history.

Player	Score	Balls Faced	Strike Rate	Opponent	Match Date
MS Dhoni	9	27	33.33	Australia	Feb 1, 2008
Ishan Kishan	35	42	83.33	West Indies	Aug 1, 2022
Hardik Pandya	39	45	86.66	South Africa	Sep 28, 2022
KL Rahul	51	56	91.07	South Africa	Oct 30, 2022
Gautam Gambhir	56	60	93.33	Sri Lanka	Jan 10, 2012

MS Dhoni - 9 off 27 balls

The Indian team played a T20 match against Australia in 2008 at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium. During this match, the Indian team lost many of their wickets. However, Dhoni wanted to stabilise the innings. But it did not work. That innings was not successful for Dhoni. He just scored 9 runs on 27 balls. In this match, the strike rate of Dhoni was 33.33. Therefore, this inning was considered one of Dhoni's slowest innings in T20 in his career.

Quick Overview

Run - 9

Ball - 27

Strike rate - 33.33

Ishan Kishan: 35 off 42 balls

Ishan Kishan is known as a good batsman. But the year 2022 was not a good year for him. The Indian team played a T20 match against the West Indies. In this match, they had to chase a low run, and Ishan wanted to play safely. Unfortunately, he got the knock off on 35 runs, which he scored on 42 balls. If you are searching for the top 5 slowest T20 innings by an Indian team, this innings of Ishan Kishan was mentioned with a strike rate of 83.33.

Quick Overview

Run - 35

Ball - 42

Strike rate - 83.33

Hardik Pandya: Scored 39 Runs on 45 balls

The Indian Team played a T20 series against South Africa before the World Cup. Among the matches, Hardik Pandya played the slowest innings. On 45 balls, he scored 39 runs. Moreover, the Indian team could win that match. Pandiya was playing at a strike rate of 86.66. Some fans considered this inning as the slowest in T20 history. In this inning, Hardik tried to secure the wickets and made the Indian team win that match.

Quick Overview

Run - 39

Ball - 45

Strike rate - 86.66

KL Rahul: Scored 51 Runs on 56 Balls

KL Rahul is one of the most professional strike makers in the Indian Cricket team. Moreover, he played one of the slowest innings in which he scored 51 off 56 balls. This innings was played against South Africa in 2022. When the team loses their wicket early, some batsmen try to stabilise the situation with a slow innings. But this inning of KL Rahul did not help the Indian team to win the match. Therefore, this innings is also known as the T20 slowest innings by Indian batsmen.

Quick Overview

Run - 51

Ball - 56

Strike rate - 86.66

Gautam Gambhir: Scored 56 Runs in 60 Balls

Gautam Gambhir scored 56 runs, which was a good score. But when we compare the number of runs, which is 60 balls. This series of runs is not considered a good innings. In 2012, Gautam Gambhir was not able to perform as he had in the previous matches. During that match, the pitch offered no support to Gambhir's batting style. However, this inning is regarded as the slowest T20 innings in his batting career.

Quick Overview

Run - 56

Ball - 60

Strike rate - 93.33

Which Inning Is Regarded as the Slowest T20 Fifty

In the format of T20, players aim to score a maximum number of runs on a minimum balls. Meanwhile, a fifty is not regarded as the best performance for the batsmen if he did not score in the minimum balls. Here is the list of the slowest fifty in T20 played by the Indian players

List of the Players Who Scored Slowest Fifties:

Player	Runs Scored	Balls Faced	Strike Rate	Opponent	Match/Event
Suryakumar Yadav	50	49	102.04	USA	T20 World Cup 2024, New York
Virat Kohli	50	48	104.16	South Africa	T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma	50	44	113.63	West Indies	T20 World Cup 2014, Bangladesh

Surya Kumar Yadav: 50 Runs Off 49 balls

The inning was played by Suryakumar Yadav, in which he scored 50 runs on 49 balls. However, this fifty was one of the slowest fifties ever in the history of T20. Surya Kumar Yadav scored his slowest fifty against the USA in New York.

Virat Kohli: 50 Runs Off 48 Balls

There is no doubt that Virat Kohli is the most famous Indian batter. Unfortunately, he recorded his slowest fifty in the T20 World Cup 2024 against South Africa. Therefore, it was Virat Kohli's slowest innings in T20 in which he made 50 runs on 48 deliveries.

Rohit Sharma: 50 Runs Off 44 Balls

In the World Cup of 2014, Rohit Sharma scored his slowest fifty while playing the match against the West Indies at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Therefore, it was Rohit's slowest 50 in a T20 international match in his cricket career.

Conclusion

When the fans heard about the T20 match, they expected big shots and several boundaries from the players. However, Indian players like Dhoni, Rahul, Virat, and Hardik played the slowest innings, which disappointed Indian cricket fans. In their cricket career, they made some remarkable records. But, they also played the slowest innings in T20. It means T20 needs the best knock with perfect strategies under high-pressure matches. It is not only about the cities and centuries. Meanwhile, players have to score in minimum balls in the T20 format.

FAQs

Who played the slowest innings in T20?

The slowest inning in T20 history was played by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in which he scored 9 runs on 27 balls with a strike rate of 33.33.

Who scored the slowest fifty in T20?

David Wiese scored his half-century on 60 balls. It is one of the slowest 50 in T200 history.

What is the slowest innings for Rahul Dravid?

Rahul Dravid made the record for the slowest inning in history. In this inning, he scored 19 runs off 114 balls.

What is the lowest ever T20?

Ivory Coast scored only 7 runs in 7.3 overs against Nigeria in 2024. It was the lowest score in the T20 format.

Who has the slowest century in the T20 World Cup?

Martin Guptill has scored the slowest century in the T20 World Cup. He scored 101 runs on 60 balls.