India has been the most successful side in the 50-over format for quite some time now. It's fair to say that they have dominated the last decade by far. But some days are just plain bad for you. And there have been many for this team too. On 31 January 2019, they were bowled out for 92 in just under 31 overs against the Kiwis.
They were 35-6 in 13.1 overs and were in danger of succumbing to their lowest ODI total( 54 vs Sri Lanka in 2000). But a handy knock from Hardik Pandya and a 25-run stand between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal pushed them closer to that 100-run mark. It was the first time since 2015 that India played without both Kohli and Dhoni. Boult finished with an excellent bowling figure of 5 for 21 in his quota of 10 overs. This was the 200th ODI match for the stand-in captain Rohit Sharma. But this landmark match wasn't worth remembering as India got out for a mere total of 92 runs, the seventh lowest in its history.
Here are five of the lowest totals scored by India in the 50-over format:
54 vs Sri Lanka, 29 October 2000, Sharjah: Sri Lanka managed to post a total of 299 runs with the help of a historic 189-run knock by Sanath Jayasuriya. And in reply, India was dismissed for merely 54 runs with the duo of Ganguly and Tendulkar scoring only three and five runs respectively. The reason that it still hurt many fans is the fact that it was the final of the tournament.
63 vs Australia, 8 January 1981, Sydney: On a bright morning in Sydney, the Australian bowlers were in a league of their own. Greg Chappell managed to pick five wickets and restricted the side to a total of 63 runs. Australia won by 9 wickets with 174 balls to spare. Greg Chappell won the Man of the Match.
78 vs Sri Lanka, 24 December 1986, Kanpur: After rain restricted play to only 46-overs-a-side, Sri Lanka managed to put 195 runs on the board. In reply, the Indian team failed to put up a fight as they went down by 117 runs. Arjuna Ranatunga scored 31 runs and also picked 4 wickets to win the Man of the Match award.
79 vs Pakistan, 13 October 1978, Sialkot: In the days when the 50-over format had just come into being. In fact, this was the 55th ODI match ever. India went in to bat first on a tough-Sialkot wicket. And apart from Mohinder Amarnath and Yashpal Sharma, no one even managed to cross the two-digit mark. Pakistan won the match by 8 wickets with 199 balls to spare.
88 vs New Zealand, 10 August 2010, Dambulla: New Zealand managed to put a total of 288 runs against the Indians, with Ross Taylor and Scott Styris scoring 95 and 89 respectively. In reply, an in-form Indian side was bowled out for a total of merely 88 runs in 29.3 overs. Ross Taylor won the Man of the Match for his heroics.
We do not normally expect these types of performances from a side like India. But Cricket is a funny sport, right? Cricket is a game uncertainty and often analysts find it difficult to predict the outcomes on cricket betting sites . But that's the nature of why we love sports.
