6 teams against whom India played a tied ODI

Team India, the Asia Cup champions of 2018, played a heart-stopping tie against a spirited Afghan side in what was the only match in the tournament which the Men in Blue didn't win. A tie in a limited overs match is a rare occurrence. In the long history of One-Day Internationals, only 36 matches have ended in a stalemate.

The first tie occurred in the year 1984 when West Indies and Australia's scores were the same after the match ended. The first World Cup match to end in a tie was the famous second semi-final of the 1999 World Cup between South Africa and Australia. Since then, there was at least one tied encounter in every World Cup until 2011.

The last World Cup tie took place at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where hosts India and England scored 338 each.

The Men in Blue have been a part of 8 such matches against 6 different teams. Let us have a look at them.

---

#6 Afghanistan (1 tie)

India vs Afghanistan, Asia Cup 2018

Starting with the most recent match on this list, India and Afghanistan squared off in a Super 4 match of the Asia Cup held in UAE. This match also gained eye-balls due to MS Dhoni's return to Indian captaincy as Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper for Asia Cup along with Shikhar Dhawan, made way for the fresh and untested talent in the dressing room.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Afghanistan got off to an explosive start thanks to wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad's heroics in the power-play overs. After a mini-collapse in the middle order, former captain Mohammad Nabi's quick-fire 64 off 56 took the Blue Tigers to a defendable 252-8.

Indian openers Ambati Rayudu and KL Rahul scored half-centuries as India put themselves in the driver's seat. However, wickets at regular intervals post the departure of both the openers, brought Afghanistan back into the contest.

Afghan bowlers took the match down to the wire. Rashid Khan conceded 6 out of the required 7 runs in the last over and dismissed Ravindra Jadeja as Afghanistan snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat.

#5 England (2 ties)

Zaheer Khan helped India make a comeback in the 2011 World Cup match against England

In 2011, India and England became the only two sides to play 2 ties against each other in the same year. In a Group Stage encounter at Bengaluru, India won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite a lower order collapse, India put on a huge total of 338 on the board with chief contributions from the bats of Sachin Tendulkar (120), Gautam Gambhir (51) and Yuvraj Singh (58).

The Indian bowlers could not gain control early in the innings as the English top order raced the team total to 281-3 inside 43 overs. Strauss, Trott, Bell and Pietersen almost pulled off an unimaginable chase. However, a late triple strike by Zaheer Khan ensured that India pull off a tie as England finished on 338-8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Later in the same year, India toured England. In the 4th ODI of the 5 match series, England fielded first owing to cloudy conditions. The Men in Blue scored 280/5 in their 50 overs. England’s innings had multiple rain breaks and when the umpires called the match off, the home side were equal with the D/L par score of 270/8 in 48.5 overs.

#4 Sri Lanka (1 tie)

MS Dhoni and Umesh Yadav took 3 runs off the last ball to avoid a defeat against the Sri Lankans

On a flat Adelaide track, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first, but a brilliant display from the Indian bowling attack halted their innings at 236 runs.

Chasing 237 in the 5th ODI against Sri Lanka of the Commonwealth Bank Tri-series including Australia, India started off on a positive note scoring 50 runs in the first 12 overs.

However, the pitch conditions altered as the ball stopped while pitching which made stroke playing difficult for the Indians. Skipper MSD huffed and puffed to take the chase into the death overs, but he didn’t get support from the other end and India had to be satisfied with a tie.

#3 New Zealand (1 tie)

Ravindra Jadeja's 66* proved to be crucial as India salvaged a tie against the hosts

Playing under clear skies in Auckland, NZ opener Martin Guptill‘s 111 helped the hosts reach 314 in their 50 overs.

India had the game in their hands with the scoreboard showing 72-2 after 13 overs. A middle order collapse and Dhoni‘s dismissal left India requiring 131 off 86. It looked like the game was over for the Men in Blue. But R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had other plans as they struck 65 off 46 and 66* off 45 respectively to bring India back in the chase.

After Ashwin’s departure, the left-handed all-rounder whacked the New Zealand bowlers as he brought down the equation to 18 off 6. Corey Anderson conceded just 5 from his first 3 balls.

With Jadeja on strike and 13 required off 3, he dispatched the next two balls for a 4 and a maximum as suddenly India seemed to be the favorites to win this one. However, only 2 runs were possible off the last ball as India snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat.

Ravindra Jadeja, for his heroic innings, was adjudged Man of the Match in the tied encounter.

#2 Zimbabwe (2 ties)

Zimbabwe players celebrate after pulling off a tie

India and Zimbabwe played out two ties, first at Indore in 1993 and the second at Paarl in 1997. On the first occasion, India scored 248 in the first innings thanks to vital contributions from Manoj Prabhakar and Vinod Kambli.

Chasing 249, Zimbabwean batsmen Andy Flower and Ali Shah tried their best but Heath Streak's run out on the final ball of the innings made sure the visitors finish their innings exactly on 248.

In the match played at Paarl in 1997, after Alastair Campbell won the toss and elected to bat first, the Indian pacers kept troubling the Zimbabwean batsmen as India controlled the African side to 236 in the 1st innings.

Chasing 237, Indians too struggled to get going with the bat. At one stage, they were reduced to 110 for five. At this juncture, Robin Singh and Ajay Jadeja took the centre stage and took India closer.

While E Brandes dismissed Ajay, Singh tried courageously, just to be run out on the last ball as India played a stalemate by ending on 236.

#1 West Indies (1 tie)

Curtly Ambrose

This was India's first ever tied ODI match. It was the opening match of the Benson and Hedges Series, 1991-92. Squaring off against two-time World Champions West Indies, India were put in to bat after Windies won the toss.

Curtly Ambrose exploited the conditions at Perth as he finished the innings with figures of 2/9 in his 8.4 overs. India were skittled out for a total of 126. The current Indian coach, Ravi Shastri top-scored with 33 (110).

Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar, debutant S Banerjee and Javagal Srinath bowled magnificently and bowled out the Richie Richardson led side for 126 inside 41 overs as the Indian team played out their first ever tied ODI match.