Team India defeated New Zealand by 12 runs in the first ODI of the three-match series on January 18 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. These five fantastic ODI hundreds came in a losing cause. But not before Kiwi all-rounder Michael Bracewell gave them a run-a-ball scare with a remarkable hundred.
After winning the toss, the Men in Blue batted first, scoring an impressive 349/8. India’s opening batsman Shubman Gill scored a sensational 208 runs in 149 balls, including 19 fours and 9 sixes. As a result, the 23-year-old became the fifth Indian player to score a double hundred in an ODI match, joining Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, and Ishan Kishan.
New Zealand was six down for 131 as they chased 350, and the match appeared to be heading toward a one-sided victory for the hosts. However, Bracewell hit 12 fours and 10 sixes in his 78-ball 140, a remarkable display of clean hitting. With the score reading 337, the left-handed batter was the final out as his fantastic pitch was wasted.
Following Bracewell’s heroic innings, we examine five previous cases in which stunning ODI hundreds against Team India occurred during a losing chase.
#5 Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka (108* off 88)
Dasu Shanaka loves batting against Team India. During the first one-day international earlier this month in Guwahati, another example of the same was evident. The Lankans were eight down for 206 and aiming for 374 for victory. Until Shanaka went insane, the match appeared to be going nowhere.
In his 88-ball 108*, the right-handed batter hit 12 fours and three sixes. Sri Lanka missed the mark significantly in spite of his brilliance. However, as the visitors reached 306/8, the ninth-wicket partnership added an unbroken 100.
Virat Kohli struck 113 off 87 balls, Rohit Sharma 83 off 67, and Gill, a fellow opener, 70 off 60 balls as Team India batted first.
#4 Sikandar Raza – Zimbabwe (115 off 95)
Over the course of the past few seasons, the seasoned Zimbabwe batter Sikandar Raza has produced some impressive runs for his team. In August 2022, as part of India’s tour of Zimbabwe, one of those occurred in Harare. Raza nearly pulled his team over the line when the hosts were set to chase 290.
At 169/7 in the chase, Zimbabwe was in serious trouble. However, Team India was caught off guard by Raza’s exceptional counterattack. There were nine fours and three sixes in his 95-ball 115.
When Raza tried to fight Shardul Thakur, he got caught in the deep and was the ninth man out with a score of 275 in the 49th over. India prevailed by 13 runs as Zimbabwe was bowled out for 276.
Gill’s first ODI hundred was the foundation of the visitors’ innings. India posted 289/8 thanks to the graceful right-hander’s 130 runs off 97 balls, which included 15 fours and one six.
#3 Eoin Morgan – England (102 off 81)
Eoin Morgan led England from the start in the Cuttack One-Day International against Team India in January 2017 with 102 off 81 after England was scheduled to chase 382. The visitors had a strong foundation built by Joe Root and Jason Roy (both 54), but they needed someone to attack the Indian bowlers.
In his 81-ball score of 102, Morgan went hammer and tongs, smashing six fours and five sixes. The captain of England kept the team’s hopes alive despite the loss of wickets at the other end. However, in a last-ditch effort to keep the strike, he was run out in the penultimate over. In the end, the visitors lost by 15 runs to finish on 366/8.
Team India posted an impressive score of 381/6 when they batted first. MS Dhoni struck 134 off 122 balls, while Yuvraj Singh scored 150 off 127. With an additional 256 runs for the fourth wicket, the seasoned duo reversed the clock.
#2 James Faulkner – Australia (116 off 73 balls)
As Bracewell’s assault brought back memories of his stunning century against Team India a decade ago, former Australian all-rounder James Faulkner was trending on Twitter on Wednesday. In the November 2013 ODI in Bengaluru, Australia was scheduled to chase 384 runs.
In the 23rd over, the Australian team collapsed under the weight of a big total and was struggling at 138/6. Faulkner, like Bracewell, batted with complete freedom because he had nothing to lose.
In his 73-ball 116, Faulkner made 11 fours and six sixes. He was the last person to leave, ironically following Mohammed Shami’s full-throttle punch. Australia reached a respectable 326 at the end of their innings thanks to Faulkner’s determined performance.
Rohit Sharma’s 209 off 158 balls was the foundation for Team India’s total of 382/6. Shikhar Dhawan scored 60 off 57 balls, and captain Dhoni scored 62 off 38.
#1 Tillakaratne Dilshan – Sri Lanka (160 off 124)
The former opener for Sri Lanka loved batting against India, and in December 2009. They would have expected an easy victory after the hosts posted an impressive 414/7 in their first innings. Dilshan, on the other hand, threw all of their plans out the window.
From the start, the aggressive Lankan batsman took on the Indian bowlers and battered them for 20 fours and three sixes. When Dilshan was bowled by Harbhajan Singh, his superb 160-run score off only 124 deliveries came to an end.
Sri Lanka was still in the game, however, at 339/4 in the 40th over. They continued to push hard, but they came up short of the goal, finishing on 411/8.
Earlier, Team India posted a score of over 400 with Virender Sehwag scoring a typically aggressive 146 off 102 deliveries. Sachin Tendulkar (69 off 63) and Dhoni (72 off 53) also made useful contributions.