6 memorable ODI encounters between India and England

The first ever ODI between India and England was played way back in 1974. Over the years, the teams have been involved in some memorable contests. The encounters have given the fans something worth remembering, be it the sight of a shirtless Andrew Flintoff racing round the stadium in delight after leveling the ODI series in 2001-02 or Sourav Ganguly's waving off his jersey after winning the Natwest final at Lords. An intense battle is on the cards whenever both the teams face off. If India have the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli et al, their counterparts have proven performers like Joe Root, Jason Roy and Alex Hales who can destroy any opposition on their day. India are touring for yet another series in England, and going through the present form and record of both the teams, the fans should gear up for an intriguing battle between the two.

A total of 96 ODI matches has been played between India and England, with the former winning 52 encounters and the latter winning 39 encounters. Two matches ended in a tie and three matches did not yield any result. Hoping for yet another cracker of a series, let us turn back the clock and have a look at some of the finest on-field battle fought between the two teams.

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#6 6th ODI at The Oval, 2007

The scoreline read 3-2 after the conclusion of five ODIs in the seven-match series. India had to level the series for having a shot at the trophy in the final ODI. Batting first, riding on a superb century by Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas's five consecutive sixes off Yuvraj Singh in the last over of their innings, the hosts set a target of 317 runs for the visitors. Although India got off to an excellent start as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly added 150 runs for the first wicket, they found themselves in a spot of bother when Gautam Gambhir got out in the 41st over, with the scorecard reading 234/5.

At this point of time, Robin Uthappa joined hands with MS Dhoni and took India close to the finishing line. When MS Dhoni was clean bowled by Stuart Broad, India needed 24 runs off the final two overs. India lost two more wickets in the next 8 balls, but Uthappa kept his cool and steered India home with 2 balls to go and 2 wickets to spare.

#5 6th ODI at Mumbai, 2002

A stunning Indian collapse handed England the victory

England toured India for a three Tests and six-match ODI series in 2002. England had won the 5th match of the series by two runs and went into the final ODI with a hope to square the ODI series 3-3. Batting first, England set a target of 256 runs for India. Sourav Ganguly with the help of some important contributions from Sehwag, Mongia, and Kaif kept the team in the hunt. At 3 for 191, India looked set to win the match and the series, but at this point of time Ganguly was dismissed and suddenly Andrew Flintoff triggered a middle-order collapse and India lost the remaining 7 wickets for just 59 runs thereby losing the match by 5 runs.

The match is primarily remembered for the sight of a shirtless Andrew Flintoff running around Wankhede Stadium after winning the match.

#4 Champions Trophy Final at Birmingham, 2013

India won the rain-curtailed Champions Trophy final

In the build-up to the finals, India had an unbeaten run in the tournament and were the firm favorites to win the finals. The final was reduced to a T20 affair due to the rains.

Put in to bat first, India managed just 129 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. England were cruising along when Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan were batting. At the end of 17 overs, England were comfortably placed at 102/4 and needed a further 28 runs in 18 balls. At this point of time, Dhoni brought Ishant Sharma back into the attack. The first two balls went for 8 runs and it looked as the match is well over for the Indians. This didn't happen though. Ishant switched to round the wicket and in the next two balls, he cleaned up the two set batsmen and gave Indian an upper hand in the match.

India further tightened the screws by claiming two more wickets in the next over and Ashwin kept his cool to keep England adrift of the target by 5 runs in the final over. With this win, MS Dhoni became the first captain in the world to win all the ICC trophies.

#3 World Cup match at Durban, 2003

Ashish Nehra produced one of the finest display of seam bowling in the match

This World Cup match is remembered for two reasons. The first one being Tendulkar's pull shot for six off Andrew Caddick's bowling and the second one being an excellent display of seam bowling by Ashish Nehra. On a bouncy Durban pitch, India won the toss and elected to bat first. With the help of some handy contributions from Sachin, Dravid and Yuvraj, India managed to score 250 runs in the allotted 50 overs.

England barely managed to compete as they lost six wickets before reaching 100 runs mark and eventually lost the match by 82 runs margin. The wrecker in chief, Ashish Nehra produced one of the finest display of seam bowling in a cricket world cup match, returning with figures of 6/23.

With this win, India gained momentum in the tournament which was stalled in the finals.

#2 World Cup match at Bengaluru, 2011

Zaheer Khan brought India back into the match

In the group match against England, India won the toss and elected to bat first. With the help of a spectacular century from Sachin Tendulkar and some important contributions from the middle order, India posted a total of 338 runs in 49.5 overs. Chasing the target of 339 runs, England got off to a good start with the captain Andrew Strauss leading the charge. He along with Ian Bell looked set to overhaul the target. Comfortably placed at 280/2 in the 43rd over, England opted for the batting powerplay. MS Dhoni handed over the ball to Zaheer Khan and in a matter of minutes, he turned the match on its head. He first cleaned up Bell and then with a searing yorker sent Strauss back to the pavilion for a well made 158. England pressed the panic button and quickly lost some more wickets. Needing 14 runs to pull off a victory in the final over, they only managed 13 runs and the match ended on a tie.

If it weren't for Munaf's short run from the last ball of India's innings, Indians might have won this game!

#1 Natwest Trophy Final at Lords, 2002

One of India's greatest victories in ODI cricket

England won the toss and elected to bat first. Centuries from Marcus Trescothick and Nasir Hussain propelled the hosts to 325/5 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, Ganguly looked in ominous touch from the onset and along with Sehwag gave India an excellent start with the scorecard reading 106/0 in 14.3 overs. At this juncture, Ganguly gifted his wicket away and in no time, India were reeling at 5/146. That is when India's youngest batting sensations Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif joined hands together and forged a partnership of 121 runs. When Yuvraj was out for 69, the scorecard read 267/6 and India needed another 59 runs in 8.2 overs. Mohammad Kaif held his nerve and took India close to the finish line where taking the advantage of an overthrow, Zaheer Khan took the final two runs and helped India win the match.

The match is remembered for the sight of Sourav Ganguly waving off his jersey in Lord's balcony after winning the finals.

Kaif kept his cool to finish off the match