A look at India's performances at T20 World Cup since winning under MS Dhoni in 2007

Team India's journey in the previous editions of the T20 World Cup has been a roller coaster one. Leaving aside the triumph in the 2007 edition under the leadership of former skipper MS Dhoni, Team India have failed to get their hands on the trophy for the past 15 years. Team India have since come close to the trophy a couple of times but faltered when it mattered the most. In the 2021 edition, the Indian team under Virat Kohli's leadership failed to make it beyond the league stage for the first time in the tournament's history.

The Rohit Sharma-led team, which will compete for the T20 World Cup 2022, have a chance to redeem themselves. The Men in
Blue, regarded as one of the favourites to win the title, will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening match on Sunday, October 23 in Melbourne. We revisit Team India's performances in the previous editions of the T20 World Cup below: 

How has Team India fared in previous editions of T20 World Cup?

2007 (Champions)

With experienced players opting out of the tournament,  MS Dhoni was chosen to lead the team. India began their campaign by winning against teams like Australia and Pakistan. In a crucial tie against England, Yuvraj Singh etched his name in the record books by smashing six sixes against Stuart Broad. The world witnessed MS Dhoni's nerves of steel and tendency to remain calm even in pressure situations. In the final against Pakistan, Dhoni played the gamble of bowling Joginder Sharma in the final over. The move turned out to be a masterstroke as India beat Pakistan to win the title.

2009 (Super 8)

The second edition of the tournament took place in England with India coming into the event as the defending champions. However the men in blue had a disastrous outing that year as they were knocked out in the Super 8 stage. Team India bowed out after losing three consecutive matches to West Indies, England, and South Africa.

2010 and 2012 (Super 8)

The 2010 edition of the T20 World Cup was played in West Indies. Team India began their campaign with a victory over Afghanistan ad South Africa but things went downhill since back-to-back victories. India lost to Australia, West Indies, and Sri Lanka to get knocked out in the Super 8 stage.  

In the 2012 edition, India started the campaign with wins against Afghanistan and England in group-stage. In the super 8 stage, India lost the first match to Australia but bounced back to beat Pakistan and South Africa though. However, an inferior net run rate ended their journey.

2014 (Runners-up)

The 2014 edition witnessed Team India performing exceptionally well throughout the event. With some exceptional match winners in the ranks, Team India managed to make it to the final beating teams like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia and South Africa along the way. However, all the hard work ended in heartbreak as the team fell short at the very last hurdle against Sri Lanka. 

2016 (Semi-finals)

India hosted the T20 world cup for the first time and were favourites to lift the trophy at home just like the ODI World Cup triumph. India started the tournament with a crushing defeat to New Zealand in the opening game but came back strongly to win every game thereafter. However, the journey ended in the semi-finals by the eventual champions West Indies.

2021 (Super 12)

The T20 World Cup was shifted from India to UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Virat Kohli was leading India for the first time at the T20 World Cup and fans were hoping that the team will finally end the trophy drought. The expectations though were crushed as India started the tournament with a loss against arch-rivals Pakistan for the first time in such a big event. The Men in Blue lost their next match to New Zealand bringing their journey to an end in the group stage itself.