India’s dominance in T20Is has often forced opponents to collapse, producing some of the lowest totals in the format’s history. The Indian bowlers have built a reputation for dismantling these batting line-ups, breaking them down under pressure. This unique group of struggles is recorded as some of the most surprising scorecards in the format.
5. India vs United Arab Emirates: 81/9
- Date: 3 March 2016
- Victory Margin: India won by 9 wickets (with 59 balls remaining)
- Best Bowling Spell: Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 2/8
India crushed the UAE in the 2016 T20 Asia Cup, with one of their biggest wins in T20Is in terms of balls remaining. In the first three overs, India bowled two maidens and conceded only one run.
UAE racked up a whopping 77 dot balls out of the total 120 in the process of setting a target of 82 for India to chase. It was an easy test for the Indian batsmen as Rohit Sharma made 39 runs of 28 balls before making way for Yuvraj Singh to seal the victory in just over 10 overs.
4. India vs England: 80
- Date: 23 September 2012
- Victory Margin: India won by 90 runs
- Best Bowling Spell: Harbhajan Singh – 4/12
India recorded this overwhelming victory over England in their Group A match during the 2012 World Twenty20. The game was insignificant as both sides had already qualified for the Super Eight stage of the tournament; however, the humiliating defeat would have crushed spirits in the England camp. England crumbled as they failed to combat spin bowling, collapsing from 39/2 to 60/9.
3. India vs Ireland: 70
- Date: 29 June 2018
- Victory Margin: India won by 143 runs
- Best Bowling Spell: Kuldeep Yadav – 3/16
Ireland recorded their second-lowest score in this format, crumbling at the hands of the Indian bowlers, losing the series 2-0. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav shared six wickets among themselves to follow up the 213 total India set up in the first innings.
KL Rahul and Suresh Raina dominated the innings, thumping 70 runs from 36 balls and 69 runs from 45 balls respectively. India’s victory by 143 runs records as one of their biggest victories in this format.
2. India vs New Zealand: 66
- Date: 1 February 2023
- Victory Margin: India won by 168 runs
- Best Bowling Spell: Hardik Pandya – 4/16
India played the near-perfect innings with Gill anchoring at a two-runs-a-ball 126. Shubman Gill’s dominant performance with the bat helped India rack up 234 runs. This was then followed up with the near-perfect bowling performance to bowl New Zealand out for 66.
The fast bowlers killed New Zealand’s chase, picking up crucial wickets in the early overs. India’s 168-run margin of victory is the highest for India in the format as well as in any T20I involving two Full-Member teams.
1. India vs United Arab Emirates: 57
- Date: 10 September 2025
- Victory Margin: India won by 9 wickets (with 93 balls remaining)
- Best Bowling Spell: Kuldeep Yadav – 4/7
India began their defence of the Asia Cup with a dominating victory over the hosts. UAE’s total is not only the lowest total by any team against India in this format but also ranks as the second-biggest margin of victory for a Full Member nation in the format. India chased down the target with ease and a whopping 93 balls remaining, recording their victory in just over four overs.
Conclusion
These low totals stand as a testament to India’s ability to seize control of T20 contests and expose any weakness in the opposition. Once India’s dominant bowling attack finds momentum, it is difficult for any batting line-up to recover. These games not only showcase India’s dominance but also leave the opposition deflated and searching for answers.
Written by: Thillai Ritvik
