Top biggest upsets in Indian cricket history include several shocking defeats that reshaped expectations. The latest is Ireland’s historic 2026 T20I series win over India in Belfast, where the underdogs clinched a 2–0 victory. Earlier, Bangladesh stunned India in the 2007 ODI World Cup, knocking them out in the group stage. Zimbabwe’s 2015 T20I win over a second-string Indian side also surprised fans. Hong Kong’s 2018 Asia Cup group-stage win briefly threatened India before a comeback. Afghanistan’s strong performances in 2022 T20 World Cup warm-ups further highlighted vulnerabilities. The Ireland series remains the most recent and symbolic upset, reflecting India’s inconsistency in overseas conditions and raising debates on selection preparation and adaptability in modern cricket across formats globally today.
Several defeats have shocked the entire Indian cricket fraternity over the years
This update is based on reports from Khelnow
Over the past decade, India have become a dominant team across all three formats. While MS Dhoni transformed India into one of the strongest sides in ODIs and T20Is, Virat Kohli is credited with turning India into a dominant force in Test cricket.
India have also bagged five ICC trophies since the start of the 21st century. Despite India’s incredible record in international cricket over the last three decades, there have been few instances when the Men in Blue faced big upsets against weaker teams.
These humiliating defeats became a dark chapter in India’s cricket history and a hot topic of discussion among the entire cricket fraternity. In this listicle, let’s take a glance at the top five most shocking upsets in Indian Cricket history.
Biggest upsets in Indian Cricket history
Against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2017 final
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India reached the Champions Trophy final under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in 2017. They faced their arch-rivals, Pakistan, in the summit clash. Batting first, Pakistan piled up a mammoth total of 338/4.
Pacer Mohammad Aamir demolished India’s top order, and they failed to chase the target of 339 runs. India were bowled out for just 158 runs. Pakistan made history by crushing India in the final of an ICC tournament for the first time.
Despite having world-class top-order batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Kohli, India could not chase down that score, and that defeat still stings the hearts of many Indian fans.
Against Zimbabwe in the T20I series 2024
Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20Is after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Shubman Gill was handed the team’s captaincy for the Zimbabwe series in July. India and Zimbabwe locked horns in five T20Is at Harare Sports Club. Several young players were given an opportunity in that series.
Shubman Gill & Co. lost the opening game by 13 runs, which came as a big blow for the then T20 World champions. Sikandar Raza & Co. piled up 155/9 in the first innings, but later made a superb comeback by bowling out India for just 102 runs.
None of the batsmen could score a fifty on the slow wicket, with multiple middle-order batters losing wickets for single digits. With three wickets by Tendai Chatara and Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe bowled out India for just 102 runs, losing by 13 runs.
Gill suffered a big blow in his first assignment as T20I captain, but starred with his captaincy by leading the team to a 4-1 victory in the series.
Against Ireland in the T20I series 2026
BCCI nominated Shreyas Iyer as the new T20I captain in 2026. Under his leadership, India took on Ireland in their first T20I campaign after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Ahead of the game, India had won all 8 T20Is against Ireland.
While the Shreyas Iyer & Co. were expected to dominate Ireland, they suffered a shocking defeat by 34 runs. Despite winning the toss and opting to bowl, India failed with their strategy. With a fifty by captain Lorcan Tucker, Ireland piled up 182/9 in the first innings.
Later, they executed a brilliant bowling attack to outplay India. After Abhishek Sharma got out, India suffered a big batting collapse and were bowled out for just 148 runs.