FEATURES
Follow UsNeeding 1 run to win off 15 balls in the first ODI in Colombo, India lost their last two wickets in successive deliveries against part-time bowler and Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka as the game ended in a tie.
This was the Men in Blue's 10th tie in ODI cricket — the second-most for any team in history. We revisit all the tied ODIs the Men in Blue have been a part of.
India vs West Indies, Perth, 1991
Series: Benson and Hedges World Series 1991
India - 126 all-out (Batting First)
West Indies - 126 all-out
Back in 1991, the West Indies were still a power to be reckoned with in ODIs. The first ever tied match for India came against them in 1991 during the famous World Series in Australia. West Indies won the toss and decided to field first at pace friendly Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) ground in Perth.
There was no partnership of any sort between any of the Indian batters as Ravi Shastri top-scored with 33, and India folded for 126 in 47 overs. However, it was the bowling that did the magic.
Subroto Banerjee took 3/30 on debut as India had the mighty Windies reeling at 76/8. However, Anderson Cummins decided to be the showstopper and took the team to the very end.
First with Curtly Ambrose and then with Patrick Patterson, he put on 37 and 13, respectively, before getting out. His wicket was taken by Sachin Tendulkar, then just a teenager, and the match ended in a tie.
India vs Zimbabwe, Indore, 1993
Series: C.A.B. Jubilee Tournament (Hero Cup), 1993
India - 248/5 (Batting First)
Zimbabwe - 248 all-out
Two years after the West Indies tie, India faced Zimbabwe in a Hero Cup match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Once again, the Indian team was asked to bat first, and they scored 248/5 thanks to a 91 from Manoj Prabhakar and fifties from Vinod Kambli and Mohammad Azharuddin.
Chasing 249 to win, Andy Flower scored 56. Zimbabwe were helped by useful contributions from Guy Whitall (33), Andy Waller (32) and Ali Shah (37).
Whitall got run out, and Javagal Srinath removed Shah to bring India back. The pacer also got Stephen Peall. Heath Streak tried his best and took the Zimbabwean side to 248. Then, on the last ball, he got run out, and the match ended in a tie.
India vs Zimbabwe, Paarl, 1997
Series: Standard Bank International One-Day Series 1997
Zimbabwe - 236/8 (Batting First)
India - 236 all-out
India and Zimbabwe were involved in yet another tied match and it was held in South Africa as part of a tri-series. Batting first, Zimbabwe managed to get to 236/8. Skipper Alastair Campbell top-scored with 61 and was helped by Paul Strang (47) and Craig Evans (40). Venkatesh Prasad took three wickets for India.
Chasing the target, India lost three quick wickets. Rahul Dravid and Ajay Jadeja calmed things down and added 45 for the fourth wicket before the Chevrons made a comeback and took the wickets of Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.
Saba Karim and Ajay Jadeja added 56 for the sixth wicket, giving hope to the Indian side. In the end, despite Robin Singh's valiant 48 off 31, India failed to get past the total as Singh was run out on the last ball.
India vs England, Bengaluru, 2011
Series - ICC World Cup 2011
India - 338 all-out (Batting First)
England score - 338/8
In the ODI World Cup 2011, India and England tied a group-stage match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After scoring 338 in 50 overs, thanks mainly to Sachin Tendulkar's 120, India were the favourites to pocket two points.
However, Andrew Strauss decided to turn things around, scoring 158 out of 145. Munaf Patel was given the last over to bowl, and, not for the first time under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, something extraordinary happened.
In this game, he had 13 to defend against Ajmal Shahzad and Graeme Swann. Thanks to Shahzad’s six, England needed two off the last ball, but they could only get one.
England vs India, Lord’s, 2011
Series - India tour of England 2011
India score - 280/5 (Batting First)
England - 270/8
Once again in 2011, India and England were involved in yet another tied match in ODIs. In the tour of England, India, while batting first in the fourth ODI of the five-match series, scored 280/5. It was mainly thanks to an 84 from Suresh Raina and an unbeaten 78 from skipper Dhoni.
According to the Duckworth-Lewis and Stern (DLS) method, England's target was reduced to 271 from 48.5 overs. Ravi Bopara scored a brilliant 96 off 111 balls. However, he messed it up in the last over. Needing five to win, England ended up getting just four as Munaf once again bowled a brilliant last over.
India vs Sri Lanka, Adelaide, 2012
Series - Commonwealth Bank Series, 2012
Sri Lanka Score- 236/9 (Batting First)
India - 236/9
Before the tied game on August 2, 2024, India and Sri Lanka played another tied game 12 years ago. Batting first, Sri Lanka managed to get to 236/9 despite Vinay Kumar picking three wickets. Dinesh Chandimal top-scored for the Lankans with 81, and Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene made 43.
India, expected to chase the target, could not get a big partnership going. However, at 174/5, they looked like they would secure the win easily, with Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir at the crease.
But Gambhir was run out, and things started to change. Eventually, India needed nine off the last over with Dhoni at the crease. Needing four off the last ball, Dhoni could get only three off Lasith Malinga, and the match ended in a tie.
New Zealand vs India, Auckland, 2014
Series- India tour of New Zealand 2014
New Zealand - 314/9 (Batting First)
India - 314 all-out
This match is remembered as one that made Ravindra Jadeja a household name. While he took 2/47 with the ball, it was his batting that made the difference in Auckland. The hosts scored 314 with the help of Martin Guptill’s 111.
Chasing the target down, a partnership between Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin (85 off 55 balls) kept India in the game. After Ashwin’s wicket fell, Jadeja took it upon himself to finish the game, adding 28 with last man Varun Aaron.
Needing 18 off 6 to win, the left-handed batter smashed Corey Anderson for two fours and a six. However, when the team needed two off one to win, all he could manage was a single.
Afghanistan vs India, Dubai, 2018
Series- Asia Cup 2018
Afghanistan score - 252 all-out (Batting First)
India score - 252/8
Afghanistan came close to beating India for the first time in their history in ODI cricket during the 2018 Asia Cup. The Afghans, electing to bat first, put up 252/8, all thanks to Mohammad Shahzad’s brilliant 124 off 116 balls. Still, the target wasn’t supposed to be a tough one for the Indian team.
However, the Afghan spinners had other ideas. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan took two wickets each and kept the runs down. Despite a great start from KL Rahul (60), Ambati Rayudu (57) and Dinesh Karthik (44), the Indian team required seven off the last over with Rashid bowling.
Jadeja, who was batting on 20, played the first three balls and scored five off them. Khaleel Ahmed took a single and brought Jadeja back on strike. But the Indian all-rounder got out trying to get the winning runs in style.
India vs West Indies, Visakhapatnam, 2018
Series- West Indies tour of India 2018
India - 321/6 (Batting First)
West Indies - 321/7
The last tied match for the Indian team before the Colombo game was in Visakhapatnam. India and West Indies were up against each other in the second ODI of the five-match series. After choosing to bat first, India scored 321/6 as Kohli hit an unbeaten 157 off 129 balls. Chasing the target, the Windies were propelled by a brilliant century from Shai Hope.
However, it was not Hope but Shimron Hetmyer’s 94 off 64 balls that changed the game for the Windies. They needed 14 off the last over to win, and Umesh Yadav was handed the ball. Ashley Nurse got a boundary away through a leg bye, and then Hope hit a four off the last ball as the match was tied.
Sri Lanka vs India, Colombo, 2024,
Series- India tour of Sri Lanka 2024
Sri Lanka - 230/8 (Batting First)
India - 230 all-out
Batting first, Sri Lanka could not get the best out of their batting unit, losing five wickets for 101. Dunith Wellalage (67*) then fought bravely and brought the team to a respectable total of 230/8. It was a difficult track to bat on, and, naturally, India found it tough to score quickly against spin. However, they were cruising at 189/5 with Rahul and Axar.
But the game changed when Wanindu Hasaranga removed Rahul and Axar got caught off Asalanka. From there on, it came down to the visitors needing one run with two wickets in hand and 15 balls remaining. This was when Asalanka first got Shivam Dube LBW before removing Arshdeep Singh, who tried to hit the winning runs with a big heave. The ill-fated slog resulted in the game ending in a tie.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here
