Top Indian batting Cameos in ODI World Cup – Part I
ODI World Cup: Indian cricket lovers can never forget what Kapil Dev did at Tunbridge Wells in 1983. His 175 against Zimbabwe is still regarded as the finest ODI World Cup knock of all time. Sourav Ganguly’s 183 against Sri Lanka in 1999 is another epic. Sachin Tendulkar might have scored 49 centuries in ODIs but his 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup is considered his greatest. Let us look at Top Indian batting Cameos in ODI World Cup – Part I.
Rohit Sharma’s five centuries in 2019 is another Indian batting highlight. There is another fan favourite in the form of Gautam Gambhir’s 97 and MS Dhoni’s 91 in the 2011 World Cup final. But there are a few cameos that are still fresh in the minds of Indian cricket lovers.
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In part I of this series, we look at 3 such top Indian batting cameos:
#3 Ajinkya Rahane – 79 vs South Africa, 2015
India started the 2015 World Cup on a confident note with an easy win over Pakistan. They had their biggest challenge in the second game against South Africa in Melbourne. India chose to bat first but lost the wicket of Rohit Sharma early. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli then steadied the ship. Dhawan went on to score a brilliant century (137 off 146 balls). But it was Ajinkya Rahane who provided the innings the much-needed impetus.
He walked in at number 4 and batted with positive intent right from ball one. Rahane took both pacers and spinners to the cleaners. He made a fantastic 79 off just 60 balls scoring 7 fours and 3 sixes. India for two games in a row breached the 300-run mark and it was Rahane’s innings that played an instrumental role in the side reaching there.
#2 Sandeep Patil – 51* vs England, 1983
He was one of the more flamboyant batters of his generation. Sandeep Patil brought out his A-game in the 1983 World Cup semifinal. India had bowled England out for 213. India was comfortably placed in the run-chase at 142-3. The top order was back in the pavilion. A wicket here or there could have added more pressure on India.
But Sandeep Patil launched a brilliant counterattack catching England off-guard. His 51 off 32 balls saw him dispatch 8 balls to the boundary. A strike rate of 159.37 was unimaginable at that time. India romped home with 6 wickets in hand. It was a statement-making innings that powered India into the finals.
#1 Ajay Jadeja – 45 vs Pakistan, 1996
The atmosphere was electric at the Chinnaswamy Stadium for the quarterfinal between India and Pakistan. India won the toss and chose to bat first. Navjot Singh Sidhu top-scored for India with a sedate 93 off 115 balls. India had wickets in hand but their run rate needed a push. Ajay Jadeja walked into bat with the score reading 200-4 in 41.3 overs.
Pakistan had overs of Waqar Younis, arguably the finest death overs bowler of that time to contain India. Jadeja went into beast mode against Younis. He smashed him to all parts of the ground in the last two overs. His 45 off 25 balls lifted India to 287-8, a score that proved to be more than enough in the end.
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