5 surprising ODI defeats for India against weaker opponents

Sunil Wettimuny starred for Sri Lanka with the bat (Image Credit: Cricbuzz)

Over the years, Team India has established the reputation of being one of ODI cricket's powerhouses. Not only have they won 2 World Cups so far, they have also given the format some of its best players in the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli among others.

However, this does not imply that the Indians haven't had their share of lows in the ODI format. While they have lost quite a lot of matches against other teams of the same stature as them, there have been some infamous occasions when India ended up succumbing to weaker opposition teams.

Let's take a look at some of India's surprising defeats against lesser teams:

5. Losing to Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in the 1979 World Cup

India were certainly not among the favourites in the 1979 World Cup; however, they still boasted of a formidable team which included players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Gundappa Vishwanath and Bishan Singh Bedi. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, enjoyed the status of minnows at that point and no one expected them to win.

After winning the toss at Old Trafford, India decided to field first in the hope to put pressure on the opponent batsmen. Led by half-centuries from Roy Dias, Sunil Wettimuny and Duleep Mendis, the Sri Lankans scored 238 for 5 in their allotted 60 overs. All-rounder Mohinder Amarnath starred for India with the ball as he picked up 3 wickets.

In reply, the Indians started strongly with openers Gavaskar and Anshuman Gaekwad added 60 runs for the first wicket. Dilip Vengsarkar held fort for India as the wickets fell at regular intervals with a resolute 36 but his dismissal triggered a batting collapse which saw the team lose their last 6 wickets for just 44 runs.

Sri Lanka won the first ever ODI between them and their closest neighbours by 47 runs, leaving the cricketing world shell-shocked.

4. Zimbabwe's first ODI victory against India at Bulawayo, 1997

Heath Streak almost single-handedly destroyed the Indian batting

In the late 1990s, India had one of the strongest batting units in ODI cricket with batsmen such as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Azharuddin playing for the same team. The bowling was not bad either with Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad heralding the pace attack whereas Anil Kumble was the ace spinner in the team.

Zimbabwe had just started to spread their wings a little in the international arena with some talented players in the form of Andy Flower, Heath Streak, Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell. The year 1997 saw the Indians tour Zimbabwe for a 2-match ODI series which they were expected to win quite comfortably.

Having been asked to bat, the visitors were in deep trouble at 95 for 6 and were rescued by a 64-run partnership between Robin Singh and Kumble. However, with the fall of Kumble's wicket, the Indian innings folded up quickly with just 168 runs on the board. Streak was the wrecker-in-chief for Zimbabwe with figures of 5 for 32.

Rain intervened during the match and the hosts were given a target of 136 in 38 overs. Opener Grant Flower anchored the Zimbabwean chase with an unbeaten 61 as they knocked out the required runs in just the 26th over with 8 wickets intact. It was the African nation's first win over India in ODI cricket and they won the series 1-0, too, as the 2nd match got washed out.

3. Shocked by Kenya at Gwalior, 1998

Ravindu Shah excelled in Kenya’s first ODI victory over India

Kenya may have made it to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup but five years prior to that, they were not counted as a team which could cause much trouble to the top teams. Their only claim to fame was a shock triumph over West Indies in the 1996 World Cup. In 1998, the Kenyans toured India to play a triangular series which also featured Bangladesh.

By the time the penultimate match of the tournament between India and Kenya came about, both teams had already qualified for the final at Eden Gardens. With the Indians having won the previous encounter, no one really gave the minnows much of a chance.

The toss was won by the Kenyans and they batted first. Despite losing an early wicket, they got off to a blistering start courtesy of Ravindu Shah's 68-ball 70. Even after he got out, the visitors continued to bat well and riding on a confident 83 from Maurice Odumbe, they put up a formidable 265 on the board.

The Indian batting never really got going as they lost Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Navjot Singh Sidhu by the 15th over. Rahul Dravid, debutant Jatin Paranjpe and Nayan Mongia offered some resistance but it was not enough as India were bowled out for 196. Odumbe delivered with the ball as well and was named 'Man of the Match'.

2. Kenya stuns India again at Port Elizabeth, 2001

Thomas Odoyo’s all-round brilliance helped Kenya beat India a second time

By the turn of the millennium, Kenya had managed to prove their ability in ODI cricket by toppling a few top teams. In 2001, they took part in a triangular tournament which was hosted by South Africa and also featured India. The Kenyans had already beaten Team India once in the past but there was a question mark over them doing it again.

A strong Indian team including Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and a young Yuvraj Singh faced up against Kenya in the 6th match of the series. After winning the toss and batting first, the Kenyan team scored 246 in their 50 overs and were helped by half-centuries from Kennedy Otieno, Ravindu Shah and Thomas Odoyo.

India suffered an early blow as Sachin fell for just 3 runs from 24 balls. Sourav Ganguly put on a brief resistance but he too got out for 24 with Dravid and Yuvraj following in quick succession. Harbhajan Singh and Jacob Martin scored 37 and 36 respectively but were unable to rescue the Indians as they were dismissed for 176 and lost the game by 70 runs.

1. Defeat to Bangladesh at Port of Spain in the 2007 World Cup

India suffered a humiliating loss to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup

India's campaign in the 2007 ICC World Cup is often looked at as their worst performance in the tournament over the past couple of decades. It was the first time after the 1992 World Cup that the Indians were unable to make it past the group stage.

They were placed in what was supposed to be an easy group with Bangladesh, Bermuda and Sri Lanka being the other three teams. India faced Bangladesh in their first encounter and chose to bat first after skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss.

The spinners and Mashrafe Mortaza had India on the mat at 72 for 4 and required an 85-run partnership between Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh to pull them out of a hole. But with both of them getting out in a span of 4 deliveries, the Indian batting collapsed yet again and they could register just 191 runs in 50 overs.

Half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim knocked the stuffing out of the Indian bowling as the Bangladeshis chased down the target with 9 balls to spare. The 5-wicket loss virtually ended India's chances of reaching the Super Eights and they were left red-faced.

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Edited by Staff Editor