Reliving the 5 Greatest Indian ODI Innings in the Last Decade

In 2007, Indian cricket hit rock-bottom when Bangladesh upset the formidable Indians in the Caribbean. The defeat sparked a violent uproar back home apart from shocking the entire cricketing fraternity. However, since then, a change in approach has led to the Indian cricket team scale seemingly insurmountable peaks.

India fulfilled their dreams of a second World Cup triumph when they emerged victorious at the scenic Wankhede stadium in 2011.

A couple of years later, they won the Champions Trophy against all odds in the United Kingdom. In 2017, they again made the final of the Champions Trophy, only to fall short at the final hurdle.

During this period, India has also been near the perch of the ICC rankings and currently finds itself placed second. With a prolonged period of success, it is only fitting that we cast our memory back to some of the defining innings played by Indians during the last decade.

The innings that have been considered are those that have been played under immense pressure, displaying exemplary character and skill. Without wasting any more time, let us dive quickly into reliving those great innings.

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#5 Yuvraj Singh 150 vs England at Cuttack, 2017

Yuvraj had struck the ball as beautifully as always

England visited India for a full-scale tour towards the end of 2016. England was humbled in the test matches and the limited-overs series represented their only chance for success. A few days before the series started, MS Dhoni handed over the reins to Virat Kohli. Kohli’s first decision was to bring Yuvraj back into the fold after a gap of three years.

India won the first ODI courtesy a Kohli and Kedar Jadhav special. However, things turned pear-shaped for them in the second ODI, when they were reduced to 25-3 inside five overs. Yuvraj joined hands with Dhoni to rescue India from that precarious situation.

Battling for a place in the team, Yuvraj was under monumental pressure to deliver. He started hitting the ball beautifully and raced to 50.

He continued in the same vein and smashed the bowlers to all parts, registering a career high-score of 150 in the process. His innings was laced with 21 hits to the fence and 3 over it.

On that hot afternoon in Cuttack, Yuvraj had struck the ball as beautifully as he had ever done. However, the ability to come up with such an innings, with the axe hanging over your head is what made this an inning to savour. Thus, this innings ranks No.5 on our list of the greatest ODI innings of the past decade.

#4 Rohit Sharma 209 vs Australia at Bengaluru, 2013

Of the three double hundreds Rohit Sharma scored, this one has to be the

most

finest

Rohit Sharma had not lived up to his enormous potential till the 2013 Champions Trophy. The move to make him open the innings worked wonders and he has never looked back since.

Towards the end of 2013, Australia toured India for a limited-overs series, looking to exact revenge for their whitewash in the test series at the start of the year.

The seven-match ODI series proved to be one of the most high-scoring bilateral series ever, with 300 being scaled with remarkable ease.

After the sixth ODI in Nagpur, the series was deadlocked at 2-2. The stage was set for a humdinger and Rohit made the stage his own, scoring a double hundred.

Rohit made 209 on the day, hitting 12 fours and 16 mammoth sixes. In a series where 350 was being chased easily, Rohit ensured India got past 380 to put the match and the series beyond Australia.

Of the three double hundreds by him, this has to go down as his finest, taking into consideration the magnitude of the situation and the quality of the opposition. The No.4 slot goes to this exceptional innings by Rohit, which helped India continue its home dominance over the mighty Aussies.

#3 Virat Kohli 133* vs Sri Lanka at Hobart, 2012

Kohli single-handedly won the game for India

With India staring at elimination in the Commonwealth Bank series, Virat Kohli decided to set the cat among the pigeons by virtue of a scintillating innings.

The Indians were set a target of 321 against Sri Lanka. If they were to have any chance of making the final, they had to achieve the target within 40 overs, which effectively meant going at a rate of eight runs per over, right from the outset. After a blazing start by Sehwag and Gambhir, Kohli entered the fray and the rest is history.

Kohli creamed 16 fours and two sixes on his way to a whirlwind 133. Kohli was sumptuous on the day. He was particularly severe on the wily Lasith Malinga, who went for 96 runs in 7.4 overs. Kohli scored on both sides of the wicket and was impossible to contain.

The innings in Hobart will go down as the innings where Kohli came off age and transformed into one of the best ODI players in the world.

Kohli has come up with similar efforts later in his career as well. His hundred in Pune against England and his 183 against Pakistan quickly spring to mind. However, the courage displayed on that cold night in Tasmania was a sight to behold.

The audacity to think of pulling off such a chase and the ability to do so is what gets this innings into the Top 3 of our list.

#2 Gautam Gambhir 97 vs Sri Lanka at Mumbai, 2011

Gambhir stepped up when it mattered the most

India were playing Sri Lanka in the World Cup final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, hoping to bury the ghosts of the 2003 and 2007 World Cup. Having been set a target of 275, their reply did not get off to the ideal start as Sehwag was sent packing on the second ball itself. With the occasion demanding an innings of character, Gambhir stepped up.

Gambhir scored a gritty 97 off 122 balls, forming vital partnerships with Kohli and Dhoni. While the stats would show a slow innings with a strike rate of only 79.5, his innings was much more than that. He walked into a cauldron of pressure and eased all the tension before he made his exit.

He played the spin twins, Muralitharan and Randiv adroitly, cutting and pulling with great efficiency.

While Dhoni took all the headlines with his exploits, Gambhir’s innings should not be discounted. If Gambhir hadn’t steadied the ship, Dhoni would never have gotten the chance to weave his magic.

With the chips down, Gambhir came up with an innings to remember, an innings that might not be remembered for its extravagance but for its efficiency.

The fact that such a determined innings was played on the grandest stage of them all gets it the second spot on our list.

#1 MS Dhoni 91* vs Sri Lanka at Mumbai, 2011

Dhoni played risk-free cricket, relying on running hard between the wickets rather than going for the big hits

2nd April, 2011 is a day the Indian people are not going to forget in a hurry. It was the day when a cricket-fanatic country quenched its 28-year thirst for a World Cup. Their heroes that day: Gautam Gambhir and a certain MS Dhoni.

Dhoni entered the fray after Kohli had been caught splendidly by Dilshan. He hadn’t had a World Cup to shout about till then and was battling for form.

Hence, when he made the decision to promote himself above the in-form Yuvraj, it raised a few eyebrows. By the time Dhoni was done casting his spell, those furrowed brows had been normalised.

His innings, which lasted 79 balls, contained eight fours and two exquisite sixes. He handled the threat of the smiling assassin, Muralitharan with aplomb.

Dhoni played risk-free cricket, relying on running hard between the wickets rather than going for the big hits. Like numerous times before, he had again timed his assault to perfection.

For a while, India was staring at the barrel and the prospect of a soul-crushing defeat. However, all of India’s prayers were answered by their talismanic captain. Like many a time before, cometh the hour, cometh MS Dhoni.

It is only fitting that the greatest India ODI innings was played in India's biggest match of the last decade.

The image of Dhoni sending the ball soaring into the Mumbai night-sky will be forever etched in cricketing folklore. The composed nature of the innings in addition to the lasting impact it created, gets it the numero uno spot.

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