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.
#5 Yuvraj Singh 150 vs England at Cuttack, 2017
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.