Though India have won the World Cup twice and is considered to be a powerhouse of cricket, there have been some occasions where India were totally outplayed, the most recent being the defeat against South Africa at Wankhade on October 25 when the men-in-blue lost to the Proteas by 214 runs. Here we bring before you some of the biggest defeats for India in ODI.
1. India vs Sri Lanka (October 29, 2000)
This match was played at a neutral venue, Sharjah. Sri Lanka batted first and their aggressive opener scored his career best of 189 runs helping his team post a total of 299/5 at the end of 50 overs. India in reply were of no match as they couldn't even score above 100. India were all out for a mere 54 runs with none of the players playing well. On that day -- October 29, 2000, India lost to Sri Lanka by a huge 245 runs.
2. India vs South Africa (October 25, 2015)
This most recent of India’s agonising defeats was played October 25, 2015. It had records tumbling down against India. The match witnessed three centurions in Quinton de Kock, Francois du Plessis and skipper AB de Villiers. The skipper's century was a quick fire as he scored 119 of 61 having almost of 200 strike rate. South Africa had posted a 400+ score for the 6th time, as the set a target of 439 runs.India were struggling from the start till the end, with only Rahane and Dhawan scoring fifties. India just managed to get 224 runs in 36 overs. This match resulted in the biggest ODI defeat under Dhoni's captaincy at the Wankhede. India lost by 214 runs.
3. India vs Sri Lanka (August 22, 2010)
This match took place on August 22, 2010 at Dambulla. India batted first and got out cheaply, posting a total of 103 runs. The Lankan bowlers were on target to restrict the Indians. Yuvraj Singh top scored for Inida with 38 runs. Sri Lanka won the match by eight wickets, making it an embarrassing loss for India.
4. India vs Australia (February 15, 2003)
This was a group stage match of the 2003 World Cup, which took place in South Africa. India were playing tournament favourites Australia with very little hope of winning. It was a David vs Goliath contest at Centurion on of February 15. India made a total of 125 runs with Sachin Tendulkar top scoring with 36 runs. The deadly bowling of McGrath, Bichel and others made the contest very easy for Australia. The Aussies won the match by 9 wickets and 166 balls left with both the openers Gilchrist and Hayden scoring above 40.
5. India vs New Zealand (January 4, 2003)
India were the visitors as the match took place at Queenstown on January 4, 2003.On this occasion too India batted first. It was a horrible batting performance as the visitors made just 122 runs. Yuvraj Singh made 25 runs and was the top scorer for India. New Zealand had no trouble chasing this small total. Skipper Stephen Fleming played a patient innings scoring 47 runs and helping the host win the game by seven wickets and 146 balls.
By Bhargav Srinivas
