6 memorable ODI encounters between India and England
The first ever ODI between India and England was played way back in 1974. Over the years, the teams have been involved in some memorable contests. The encounters have given the fans something worth remembering, be it the sight of a shirtless Andrew Flintoff racing round the stadium in delight after leveling the ODI series in 2001-02 or Sourav Ganguly's waving off his jersey after winning the Natwest final at Lords. An intense battle is on the cards whenever both the teams face off. If India have the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli et al, their counterparts have proven performers like Joe Root, Jason Roy and Alex Hales who can destroy any opposition on their day. India are touring for yet another series in England, and going through the present form and record of both the teams, the fans should gear up for an intriguing battle between the two.
A total of 96 ODI matches has been played between India and England, with the former winning 52 encounters and the latter winning 39 encounters. Two matches ended in a tie and three matches did not yield any result. Hoping for yet another cracker of a series, let us turn back the clock and have a look at some of the finest on-field battle fought between the two teams.
#6 6th ODI at The Oval, 2007
The scoreline read 3-2 after the conclusion of five ODIs in the seven-match series. India had to level the series for having a shot at the trophy in the final ODI. Batting first, riding on a superb century by Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas's five consecutive sixes off Yuvraj Singh in the last over of their innings, the hosts set a target of 317 runs for the visitors. Although India got off to an excellent start as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly added 150 runs for the first wicket, they found themselves in a spot of bother when Gautam Gambhir got out in the 41st over, with the scorecard reading 234/5.
At this point of time, Robin Uthappa joined hands with MS Dhoni and took India close to the finishing line. When MS Dhoni was clean bowled by Stuart Broad, India needed 24 runs off the final two overs. India lost two more wickets in the next 8 balls, but Uthappa kept his cool and steered India home with 2 balls to go and 2 wickets to spare.