T20I Hundreds In Losing Cause: When Indian Players Scored Centuries That Went In Vain

Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed his maiden T20I hundred on Tuesday (November 28) against Australia at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, but the Indian opener's ton went in vain after a century from Glenn Maxwell powered the visitors to victory.

Gaikwad broke several records en-route to his first-ever T20I century as his unbeaten 127 off 57 balls took India to a challenging total of 222. In response, Maxwell scored his fourth T20I hundred in just 47 balls to take Australia home in the last-ball finish.

The 26-year-old opener Gaikwad became the eighth Indian to reach the landmark in T20I, but also became only the fourth Indian to register a hundred in a losing cause. Here is a look at Indian players T20I centuries that went in vain:

Indian T20I Centuries In Losing Cause

1. Rohit Sharma vs South Africa in 2015: Rohit scored 106 off 66 balls, his maiden ton in the shortest format in international cricket. His knock took India to 199, but the Proteas completed the run chase in the final over to win by 7 wickets at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on 2 October 2015.

2. KL Rahul vs West Indies in 2016: In a run-feast at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, where India played their first-ever match in USA, Rahul scored first of his two T20I hundreds, but that knock went in vain with the Indians falling short of West Indies' total of 245 on 27 Ausgust 2016.

3. Suryakumar Yadav vs England in 2022: SKY has been on a record-breaking run since his international debut and his maiden T20I hundred also came in a loss as India fell short of a target of 216 by 17 runs at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham on 10 July 2022.

4. Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Australia in 2023: Although he became the first Indian to smash a century against the Australians in the shortest format, Gaikwad could not avoid the misfortune of Indian players with centuries that went in vain as his unbeaten 127 ended up in a 5-wicket loss at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 28 November 2023.

Gaikwad's hundred in a loss was the 21st instance in international cricket that a team with a centurion on their side ended up on the wrong side of the result. Several big names like Chris Gayle, David Miller, Martin Guptill are among the list.

Rohit, Rahul and Suryakumar later went on to score hundreds in winning cause, and Gaikwad too will soon join them and the other Indian centurions who reached the landmark in victories.

Indian T20I centuries in winning cause

Suresh Raina vs South Africa in 2010 at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
Rohit Sharma vs Sri Lanka in 2017 at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
KL Rahul vs England in 2018 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Rohit Sharma vs England in 2018 at County Ground, Bristol
Rohit Sharma vs West Indies in 2018 at BRSABV Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Deepak Hooda vs Ireland in 2022 at The Village, Malahide
Virat Kohli vs Afghanistan in 2022 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Suryakumar Yadav vs New Zealand in 2022 at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Suryakumar Yadav vs Sri Lanka in 2023 at SCA Stadium, Rajkot
Shubman Gill vs New Zealand in 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Nepal in 2023 at Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, Hangzhou