Top 5 hundreds in ODI chases

In the fourth one-day international between England and New Zealand at Dunedin, Ross Taylor played a magnificent innings of 181* (147 balls) to guide his team to a thrilling victory while chasing a mammoth target of 336. Coming in to bat when the scoreboard read 2/2, the star batsman produced a scintillating display of batting to help his team stay alive in the series.

Even though 300 totals have become a norm in ODI cricket of late, chasing 300 is still tough and tests the character of even the greatest of batsmen. It often requires one batsman in the team to step up and produce a big hundred.

We look at 5 other big hundreds (150+ scores) that were crucial for their team to overhaul huge totals.

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#5 Jason Roy 180 (151) vs Australia at Melbourne, 2018

Australia 304/8, England 308/5 in 48.5 overs

First on this list is a recent performance from Jason Roy at MCG. England, after being out-performed in the Ashes, were hoping for some inspiration from their non-Test playing stars to put up an improved performance in the ODI series. And they did find one in Jason Roy that day.

In the first ODI, Australia batted first and scored 304 in their allotted 50 overs, courtesy Aaron Finch’s ton. This was more than a challenging total on a huge Melbourne ground. Jason Roy started the chase briskly and found an able ally in Joe Root. Together they had added 221 runs for the third wicket when Jason Roy was dismissed for a career-best 151-ball 180, the highest for an England player in ODIs.

It was an innings of highest quality against an Aussie bowling line-up consisting of the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Root guided his team to the finish line with 7 balls left. But Roy was the real hero that day who helped England take a 1-0 lead which eventually propelled them to a 4-1 series win.

#4 MS Dhoni 183* (145) vs Sri Lanka at Jaipur, 2005

Sri Lanka 298/4, India 303/4 in 46.1 overs

This was the time when Indian cricket had found a new hero. The long-haired boy from Ranchi had announced his arrival in international cricket with a sensational 123-ball 148 against Pakistan not so long ago.

In the third one-day international of the series against Sri Lanka, India, chasing a challenging total of 299, lost Sachin Tendulkar with just 7 runs on board. In a surprising move, Dhoni walked in at no. 3. He counter-attacked the Sri Lankan bowlers initially and then continued to accumulate runs with his swift running between the wickets.

India kept losing wickets at the other end but Dhoni ensured that India reached the target with nearly 4 overs left. His knock of 183 (148 balls) included 15 fours and 10 sixes. To put things into perspective, the next best score was 39 by Virender Sehwag.

Dhoni accounted for a whopping 60% of the team's runs. 183* still remains the highest score by a wicket-keeper in one-day internationals.

#3 Sanath Jayasuriya 152 (99) vs England at Leeds, 2006

England 321/7, Sri Lanka 324/2 in 37.3 overs

Sanath Jayasuriya, the explosive left-hander, who redefined power hitting in the 90s, features next on our list. Although the innings in question came in a dead-rubber, it will always be remembered for the manner in which the southpaw decimated the English bowlers.

In the final ODI of the series, which England trailed 0-4, they elected to bat and on the back of a wonderful ton from Marcus Trescothick, put on a formidable score of 321 on a good batting wicket at Leeds.

Having set a difficult target, England were hoping to avoid a white-wash. But Sri Lanka, with nothing to lose, started off brilliantly and the openers batted on and on to put up a record stand of 286. The Matara Marauder reached his 100 off just 72 balls and went on to score a 95-ball 150 which was the fastest 150 back then.

Even though Upul Tharanga scored a brilliant 102-ball 109, it was the wonderful hitting from Sanath (strike rate of 153.5) that helped Sri Lanka cruise to victory in just 37.3 overs, completing a thumping clean sweep of the English side in their own backyard.

#2 Virat Kohli 183 (148) vs Pakistan at Dhaka, Asia Cup 2012

Pakistan 329/6, India 330/4 in 47.5 overs

Playing under pressure always brings the best out of Virat Kohli. This was another such occasion for him. India, having lost to Bangladesh in their previous game, faced a must-win situation. Pakistan batted first and put up a huge total of 329 which included twin hundreds from Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed.

India got off to the worst possible start, losing Gambhir in the first over with no runs on board. Virat Kohli walked in at no. 3. The stage was set for another master-class from the master chaser. He added 133 runs for the second wicket with Sachin Tendulkar (who scored 52) and then another 172 runs for the third wicket alongside Rohit Sharma (who scored 68).

Kohli was eventually dismissed for 183 off just 148 balls. This knock, played against the likes of Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal, ensured that India overhauled the target with 13 balls to spare, thus staying alive in Asia Cup.

#1 Herschelle Gibbs 175 (111) vs Australia at Johannesburg, 2005

Australia 434/4, South Africa 438/9 in 49.5 overs

The last knock on this list is the one that came in the '400' match at Johannesburg. Although this innings from Herschelle Gibbs isn't celebrated as much as some of the other big hundreds in ODIs, partly because the match itself was an absolute run feast, this is right up there in terms of the sheer impact this knock had on the outcome of the game.

With the series on line, Australia batted first and posted 434 on a batting paradise at Wanderers. This was the first ever 400 plus total in ODI history. The second such total was to follow in about 3 hours time!

South Africa, playing in front of a vociferous crowd at the Bullring, got to the worst possible start as they lost Boeta Dippenaar early. And then walked Herschelle Gibbs. He and Graeme Smith added 187 runs for the second wicket in quick time, with Smith scoring a 55-ball 90.

Gibbs was eventually dismissed for his highest ODI score of 175 which needed just 111 balls. His inspirational innings was enough to instil confidence in the other batters to follow. In a nerve-wracking last over South Africa crossed the finish line with 1 ball and 1 wicket left, thus creating the record for the highest ODI run chase.