To score a hundred is a big task for players in One Day Internationals (ODI). Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has the highest number of ODI centuries which is still unbreakable. He has led India from the front to complete the victory with his hundreds.
But sometimes it is not important to score a hundred for the team to give the victory. Sometimes a team just needs a match winnings contribution from a player. And, there have been innings in Indian history where without scoring a century, India has won the game. Among them, many go unnoticed.
Here, we take a look at 5 Best ODI Innings Without Centuries For India:
Yuvraj Singh – 57 not out vs Australia in 2011 World Cup
Facing Australians has always been a difficult task for Indians in the cricket field. In the 2011 World Cup, it was important for India to win the match against Australia to seal the place in the semi-finals. At that time, Yuvraj Singh, who was in a terrific form in the tournament, came up as a saviour.
Chasing the target of 261 runs, India had a decent start, but Australians came back into the action and sent Dhoni back to the pavilion. The Men in Blue still needed 80 runs to win the game. Then, Yuvraj Singh fired up and dismantled the like of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, and Mitchell Johnson. At the other end, Suresh Raina supported the sixer king, who scored unbeaten 57 runs, to lead India to victory.
Yuvraj’s half-century was the most crucial to keep the dreams of winning The World Cup alive. Though rarely anyone remembers his match winnings knock.