5 greatest run chases in ODI history

The fourth ODI between England and West Indies produced an exhilarating contest where West Indies fell tantalizingly short of chasing down England’s score of 418. In fact, the way the West Indians batted, they made the target look easy to conquer for a large part of their innings. It was only a stout resistance from the English team in the latter stages that protected them from a surprising loss.

After having witnessed this splendid contest, let’s recount some of the greatest run-chases in the history of the game. We have to keep in mind that chasing big targets, just like posting big totals, has become much easier in recent times.

While 300 was a winning score couple of decades ago, it now looks very vulnerable. Hence, while compiling this list, it is important to not just look at the runs scored but also the era in which they were scored.

The quality of attack, circumstances, conditions, all come into play when preparing this list. So, let’s look back at the 5 best successful run-chases in the history of ODI cricket.

5. India Chasing Down 326 vs England (Lord’s, 2002)

India's victory in the 2002 tri-series Final was the result of a great chase

The stage was big – final of a triangular series involving the hosts England, India and Sri Lanka, played at Lords. The hosts were taking on India at the most hallowed ground in international cricket.

The visitors conceded a score of 325 in the first innings, thanks to tons from Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain. Now, remember that this was 2002. A score of 300 in those days was almost guaranteed to bring victory.

However, the Indians got off to a spirited start in their reply with openers Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag playing aggressively in the first 15 overs.

However, the surge of optimism among Indian fans came crashing down when a flurry of wickets – including that of Sachin Tendulkar – reduced their team to 146/5. The last recognized batting pair was at the crease – Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif.

These two young batsmen were still in the process of finding their feet in international cricket. The required run-rate was around 6/over.

Then, what was witnessed was a turnaround that even the most optimistic Indian fan would not have imagined. Kaif and Yuvraj mounted a brilliant partnership which added 121 runs for the sixth wicket. Then the latter was dismissed for a personal score of 69 of 63 when his team still needed 59 off 50 balls.

However, Kaif shepherded the innings along with the tail-enders to get his team through to a memorable victory with three balls to spare. Every Indian fan remembers the celebration of Ganguly when he took off his shirt and swirled it around over his head. But it was the brilliance of two young, inexperienced Indian batsmen that deserves to be most fondly recalled.

4. New Zealand Chase Down 347 vs Australia (Hamilton, 2007)

Craig McMillan's hundred set up an incredible win for New Zealand

This series has almost been completely forgotten by the fans. The main reason for it was the timing. It came just before the 2007 World Cup and after a long tri-series in Australia involving the same two teams along with England.

It was a series without much at stake and the absence of some key players from Australia reduced its relevance even further. Australia were the overwhelming favourites in the contest.

However, they ended up losing the 3-match series even before this game – the final one – got underway, by losing the first two. The second game saw the New Zealanders chasing down a target of 340 to seal the series.

The Australians were clearly off the boil. This series was preceded by a historic 5-0 Ashes triumph and the tri-series win. With their eyes set on the World Cup, they were probably not giving their best in this contest.

But the final ODI seemed set to provide Australia a consolation win as they piled up a massive total of 346 thanks to Matthew Hayden’s 181 not out. The hosts were in dire straits at 41/4. But then, an incredible fightback ensued, led by the often-underachieving Craig McMillan.

He was aided by Peter Fulton initially to resurrect the innings and then combined with Brendon McCullum to take his side close to victory. When the centurion McMillan was out, New Zealand still needed 66 at over run-a-ball. A quick-fire 28 off 15 by Mark Gillespie helped their cause greatly.

When the ninth wicket fell, the Kiwis still needed 8 off 7 balls. But McCullum finished the job in the last over and remained unbeaten on 86. It was a thrilling contest that produced what was an unbelievable chase.

3. India Make Mockery of 360-Run Target vs Australia (Jaipur, 2013)

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made a mockery of the 360-run target set by Australia

This 7-match series, in effect a 5-match contest due to two matches being washed out, was unparalleled in terms of high-scoring. It seemed that there was no upper limit to the scores that could be scored by either side and chasing them down too seemed ridiculously easy.

This was the second ODI and Australia were leading the series 1-0. When a brutal batting display against hapless Indian bowlers produced a score of 359/5, they seemed set to go up 2-0.

India got off to a steady start and were helped by a dropped catch. While the Indians were not racing away, batting seemed quite easy and the openers – Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan – were getting more and more comfortable.

There was absolutely no help for the bowlers and boundaries starting to flow by the time India reached 150 in just 22.2 overs. When Shikhar Dhawan got out, just five short of his hundred, India were already at 176. Things were only going to get worse for the Aussies.

Virat Kohli arrived at the wicket and punished the bowlers in a ruthless manner, in the process scoring the fastest hundred by an Indian. Rohit Sharma also joined the fun and became equally violent in his stroke-play.

India reached 300 in the 39th over and the match was all but lost for the Kangaroos. In the end, a target that seemed insurmountable was chased down in just 43.3 overs with just one wicket down. Australians were left wondering what hit them. The pulverization of bowlers by Indian batsmen was hard to believe.

2. India Defy Odds to Chase 321 – In 36.4 Overs vs Sri Lanka (Hobart, 2012)

Virat Kohli's hundred against Sri Lanka was chiefly responsible for a fairy-tale win over Sri Lanka

This match’s story is like that of a feel-good movie. The Indians were in a do-or-die situation in this match – part of a tri-series in Australia. They had to not just win in order to remain alive in the tournament but win in such a thumping manner so as to change the net run-rate equation in their favour.

Sri Lanka batted first and thanks to hundreds from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankans posted 320/4. The hopes of India qualifying seemed evaporated as they not only had to chase an improbable target, but that too, in under 40 overs. Such a feat had never been achieved before.

But the start of the Indian innings suggested that India weren’t going down without a fight. The legendary opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag went all guns blazing against the Lankans. India reached 50 in just 5.3 overs.

Wickets of both the openers threatened to derail India's response. But then Virat Kohli joined Gautam Gambhir and the two kept the Indian innings going at a good rate. After the dismissal of Gambhir, Suresh Raina came to the crease.

Virat Kohli upped the ante and started pummelling the bowling mercilessly. Raina, too, was blazing away alongside. The way Kohli treated Lasith Malinga – a bowler highly skilled in limited-overs bowling – was spectacular and the stroke-play, as good as you would ever see. The Lankan bowler ended up with figures of 1/96 in only 7.4 overs.

Forget about reaching the target in under 40 overs, India were home and dry in just 36.4. The fairytale, unfortunately, ended there as India still failed to qualify due to Sri Lanka’s victory. But in terms of chases, this was incredible.

1. South Africa Produce Triumph of Belief vs Australia (Johannesburg, 2006)

South Africa chasing down 435 against Australia in 2006 was hard to believe

No other match proves the truism of cricket being ‘a game of glorious uncertainties’ than this one. The stage itself was big – the final and deciding one-dayer of a 5-match series between hosts South Africa and Australia.

The first innings itself was historical. Australia became the first team to break the 400-barrier when they posted 434/4 on the board. Ricky Ponting’s big hundred – 164 off 105 balls – led the way and was aided by half-centuries from Adam Gilchrist, Simon Katich and Mike Hussey.

Having just become the first team to concede a total of 400+, the Proteas must have been deflated. The South Africans were sitting in their dressing room, licking their wounds, when Jacques Kallis made his now legendary comment: “they are 15 runs short.”

This was 2006 when a target of 300 was still considered a winning total. But the South Africans came out to fight and win. Herschelle Gibbs produced a magnificent knock that outdid Ponting’s heroics earlier. His 175 of just 111 balls made sure that the South Africans were not only in the game but looking very capable of winning it.

When Gibbs got out, the hosts already were at the score of 299 in just 31.5 overs. The following batsmen kept the innings going at a good pace but Australia were able to pull things back. Eventually, it was left to Mark Boucher to take his team to victory when the no. 11 batsman, Makhaya Ntini, managed to sneak a single in the last over and give him the strike with scores level. A pull shot over the in-field took the team to a most memorable victory.

What had seemed impossible had been made possible on a glorious day for cricket.