Top 5 ODIs of 2017
2017 is coming to end and the ODIs for this year are done and dusted with the conclusion of the 3rd One-Day International between New Zealand and West Indies.
In the 128 ODIs played this year, we seen some close games and some one-sided ones.
2017 also saw the Champions Trophy. Pakistan entered the tournament as the underdogs and ended up surprising a lot of people by winning the Champions Trophy title. However, having played 29 games, India have the most number of ODI wins this year.
Here, we look at 5 of the best One-Day games played in 2017.
#5 India vs England (Cuttack)
2017 was off to a good start.
Australia and Pakistan competed well in their first couple of ODIs, and then India chased down 350 against England in Pune to take a 1-0 lead.
Cuttack was the venue for the 2nd ODI and international cricket returned to the Barabati Stadium after a gap of 15 months. With dew expected to play a big part, England opted to field first after winning the toss. This series was also Virat Kohli’s first as full-time ODI skipper.
The top-order, which had failed in Pune, didn’t get off to the best of starts once again. India were reduced to 25/3 inside 5 overs and with their talismanic skipper Virat Kohli (who scored 122 in the first ODI) too back in the pavilion, things looked bleak.
However, comeback man Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni turned back the clock as they forged a magnificent 256-run partnership. They started off slowly but picked up pace and momentum once they were set and got stuck into the English bowling attack. Both scored majestic tons with Yuvraj ending with a 127-ball 150 and Dhoni scoring 134. India scored a staggering 100 runs in the last 7 overs to end with a mammoth 381.
Chasing 382, very few people would’ve given England a chance. But they didn’t get bogged down. They got off to a brisk start as they reached 100 in the 16th over. And with the firepower they had and with lots of dew around, they were always in the chase. But wickets at regular intervals reduced the visitors to 206/5. But then Moeen Ali (55) and skipper Eoin Morgan (102) got England back into the game with a quick-fire 93-run stand.
Even after Ali’s dismissal, Morgan found the boundary consistently to keep England in the hunt and got to his century in the 49th over. With 29 required off 11 deliveries, Morgan was the key but his run out changed the complexion as India completed a 15-run victory.
Brief Scores: India 381 for 6 (Yuvraj 150, Dhoni 134, Woakes 4-60) beat England 366 for 8 (Morgan 102, Roy 82, Moeen 55, Root 54, Ashwin 3-65)