Listing Team India's biggest defeats in T20Is (by runs)
What's the story
South Africa defeated India by 51 runs in the second T20I at the Maharaja Yadvindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Thursday. Quinton de Kock's explosive knock of 90 runs propelled South Africa to a formidable total of 213/4 in their allotted overs. In response, India struggled and were eventually bowled out for 162 runs in 19.1 overs. On this note, we list down Team India's biggest defeat in T20Is in terms of runs.
#3
49 runs vs Australia, 2010
India had a terrible time while chasing 185 against Australia in the 2010 ICC T20 World Cup match in Bridgetown. Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait claimed three-fers as 10 of India's 11 batters could not even touch the 14-run mark. The one who managed to do so was Rohit Sharma, who blasted a stunning 79*(46) to reduce the margin of defeat. As India were folded for 135, Australia won by 49 runs.
#2
51 runs vs South Africa, 2025
India's 51-run defeat in the aforementioned game takes the second spot on this list. While de Kock smashed a solid 90, cameos from Donovan Ferreira (30*) and David Miller (20*) powered SA to 213/4 . In response, the trio of Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav were all dismissed within the powerplay, leaving India at 32/3. Tilak Varma (62) was the only Indian batsman to put up a fight as the hosts were folded for 162.
#1
80 runs vs New Zealand, 2019
India's biggest T20I loss came against New Zealand in the 2019 Wellington affair. An aggressive 84 by Tim Seifert meant the hosts posted 219 for six while batting first. In response, India were going well at 51/1 before a collapse hit them. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan (29), Vijay Shankar (27), and MS Dhoni (39) failed to convert their starts as India were all out for 139, losing by a massive 80 runs.