5 instances where Indian bowlers were left completely clueless by the opposition batsmen

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken to the cleaners on SundayIndia suffered a 214-run loss in the final ODI against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to eventually lose the 5 match ODI series 3-2. The Indian bowlers were sent on a leather hunt by the South African batsmen as they piled up a total of 438 for 4 in their 50 overs.This, though, wasn't the only instance when the Indian bowlers were carted to all parts of the ground. Here are 4 other instances.

#1 India vs Australia Johannesburg 2003 World Cup Final

Ricky Ponting was in vintage form on the day of the 2003 World Cup Final

This is a match that won't be forgotten by many Indian cricket fans. India took on Australia in the final of the 2003 World Cup final at Johannesburg and after winning the toss, skipper Sourav Ganguly opted to field first, leaving many a spectator confused over the decision.

That call backfired dramatically, as Australia started to attack the Indian bowlers to all corners from the word go and after the opening pair of Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist had been dismissed, skipper Ricky Ponting continued the assault and along with Damien Martyn for company, added 234 runs for the third wicket to help Australia post 359 for 2 in 50 overs.

Javagal Srinath was smashed for 87 runs in his 10 overs, Zaheer Khan went for 67 runs in his 7 overs. Ashish Nehra, who was one of India’s best bowlers along with Zaheer in the tournament up till that point, was also not spared, going for 57 in his quota of overs. Harbhajan Singh was the only one who got among the wickets, picking up 2 for 49 in 8 overs.

Even the part-timers like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar etc were not spared.

In reply, India were dented severely right at the start as Glenn McGrath picked up the prized scalp of Tendulkar in the very first over and despite Sehwag trying his best to keep India in the match, it proved to be too big a task and they eventually were bowled out for 234, to hand the Aussies their second consecutive World Cup crown.

#2 India vs Australia Sydney 2004

Matthew Hayden was in top gear in Sydney

After losing the first final of the 2004 tri-series in Australia, India faced a must-win situation as they reached the Sydney Cricket Ground for the second of the best of three finals against the hosts. After captain Ricky Ponting called it right at the toss, it was time for the Australian batsman to take centre stage.

Right from the word go, the Indian bowlers were put under huge pressure by the Australian batting line up as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden put on 62 in the first 9 overs. India then made a minor comeback as they got rid off Gilchrist and Ponting in quick succession, but Hayden along with Damien Martyn and Andrew Symonds continued to pummel the Indians to all parts of the ground and eventually racked up 359 for 5 at the end of their 50 overs.

Not a single bowler was spared on the day as Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Ashish Nehra and Murali Kartik went at more than 6 runs per over and India were left with a mountain to chase to keep the finals alive.

But the task once again proved to be too much for the Indian batting order and they were bundled out for 151 to hand the hosts a massive 208 run victory.

#3 India vs South Africa Johannesburg 2013

Quinton de Kock once again pummeled the Indian bowling attack

India embarked on a three ODIs and two-Test series to South Africa in the winter of 2013. The limited overs series were to kick start their tour and both teams arrived at the Wanderers in Johannesburg looking to start the series on a positive note.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla got off to an absolute flyer, smashing the Indian bowlers to all corners and putting on 152 runs for the first wicket before the latter was dismissed for 65.

De Kock though went to score a brilliant 135 and helped by quickfire fifties from AB de Villiers and JP Duminy, the hosts piled up a mammoth 358 for 4 in their 50 overs. Mohit Sharma was carted for 82 runs in 10 overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was expected to swing the new ball was carted for 68 runs in 9 overs. Mohammad Shami picked up 3 wickets but went for 68 runs in his 9 overs and the spinning duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowled 20 wicketless overs combined and gave away 116 runs.

India clearly had their task cut out with the bat in hand and an incisive opening burst from Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe put the visitors further on the back foot as the run rate escalated. None of the top 4 batsmen managed to reach even 40 and despite MS Dhoni trying his best to keep the match alive, the Indians fell short by 141 runs.

#4 India vs South Africa Ahmedabad 2010

AB de Villiers scored a quickfire hundred to help his side win

After India had already won the three-match series 2-0, both teams arrived in Ahmedabad for the third and final match in the ODI series. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat and Hashim Amla and Loots Bosman got stuck into the Indian bowlers from the word go.

But the real assault came when AB de Villiers walked in to join seasoned campaigner Jacques Kallis and absolutely hammered the Indian attack to all parts of the ground. The duo added 173 runs in just over 17 overs with the former firing a 65-ball 102 not out and the latter scoring a 94-ball 104 not out.

All the Indian bowlers were sent on a leather hunt that day. S Sreesanth went for 83 runs in his 9 overs, Sudeep Tyagi was carted for 59 in his 8 overs. Abhimanyu Mithun, who was making his international debut, also had a forgettable time, going for 63 runs in 8 overs.

Ravindra Jadeja was the only one with respectable figures on the day, going for 53 runs in 10 overs while his spinning partner Yusuf Pathan was taken for 66 runs in his 10 overs.

In reply, India needed a good start to harbor any hopes of chasing the total down but once the opening pair of Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay were dismissed within the first 6 overs, the middle order had a herculean task on their hands.

Virat Kohli scored 57 and Rohit Sharma scored 41, but no could produce the big score which was required and India were bowled out for 275, thereby handing South Africa a consolation 90-run win.

#5 India vs South Africa Mumbai 2015

Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers proved to be too hot to handle for the Indians

With the series locked at 2-2, India and South Africa arrived at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the decider in the 5-match ODI series. Proteas captain AB de Villiers won the toss and elected to bat first and the opening duo of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock put the Indians under pressure from the very beginning.

Amla fell cheaply, but de Kock continued his domination over the Indian bowling, scoring his 5th century against India and a second one of the series to build a solid platform for his side. The middle-order, led by Faf du Plessis and De Villiers capitalised on the foundation and tore the Indian bowling apart.

Du Plessis had to retire hurt on 133 and de Villiers was out for a 61-ball 119, but their pyrotechnics ensured India had to track down a colossal 439 in 50 overs to win the series.

Mohit Sharma was smashed for 84 runs in his 7 overs while Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel and Amit Mishra went for a combined total of 213 runs in their 28 overs that they bowled. But it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was the most expensive bowler on the day, going for 106 in his 10 overs and recording the worst figures for an Indian in ODI cricket.

In reply, India lost Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply and despite a spirited innings from Ajinkya Rahane, the hosts couldn't get anywhere close. losing by 214 runs and handing South Africa a 3-2 series win.