ICC Knockout Matches are the high-pressure games which test the players’ skills. In this match, if the team loses, they have to pack their bags and return home with no trophy. Of late, the Indian cricket team has struggled to win the knockout games.
In 2021, India lost the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand, and in 2022, the Indian side lost against England in the semifinals of T20 World Cup. In 2023, the Indian team lost against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship Final again. Batting has led the Indian team down on many occasions in the knockout games.
Very few batters of India have achieved success in ICC knockout matches. Here’s a list of three Indian batters with an average of 50+ in the high-pressure matches of the tournaments organized by the International Cricket Council.
3. Sachin Tendulkar – 50.53 average in ICC knockout matches
Former Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar brought his ‘A’ game to the table in the knockout games. His knocks against Australia in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal and the 85-run knock against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup semifinal played a pivotal role in India’s journey to the world title. Tendulkar had an average of 50.53 across all knockout games that he played.
2. Gautam Gambhir – 54.60
Gautam Gambhir is best-known for his half-centuries in the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 Final against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup 2011 Final. Gambhir established himself as a big-match player by performing well in the knockout games, maintaining a brilliant average of 54.60.
1. Sourav Ganguly – 85.66
Highest Average for India in ICC Knockout matches
— CricBeat (@Cric_beat) July 7, 2023
85.66 – Sourav Ganguly
54.60 – Gautam Gambhir
50.53 – Sachin Tendulkar
48.78 – Virat Kohli
44.28 – Rohit Sharma
40.16 – Shikhar Dhawan
(Min 200 runs)
Happy Birthday Sourav Ganguly
The only Indian to have an average of more than 55 in the knockout games of ICC tournaments is Sourav Ganguly. The former Indian captain had a remarkable average of 85.66 in the knockout games. So many years have passed but not a single batter has come close to Dada on this elite list.
