Yahoo Sports Highest Individual Scores by Indian Batsmen in Australia in ODIs: Rohit Sharma to Shikhar Dhawan, Five Memorable Performances by Team India Batsmen Down Under
Virat Kohli’s men will be back in action as they’ll take on Australia in a full-fledged series down under. The tour comprises of three T20Is, as many ODIs and four Test matches. Although the battle between these two powerhouses have always been high-voltage, the upcoming assignment holds even greater significance with the Men in Blue returning to international cricket after a nine-month coronavirus-induced halt. With both sides comprising of prominent batsmen, lethal bowlers and scintillating fielders, the upcoming series is set to witness a great tussle. As the tour starts with the ODI series, we’ll look at the highest ODI scores by Indian batsmen on Australian soil. India vs Australia 2020-21: 4 Records & Stats You Need to Know Ahead of the IND vs AUS ODI Series.
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Batting has been India’s strength over the years across formats. However, scoring runs down under isn’t a bread and butter task. The pitches are favouring the pacers, and the large boundaries make batsmen’s job even more difficult. Nevertheless, many Indian batsmen rose to all challenges and played several staggering knocks. Ahead of the three-match ODI series, let’s look at five highest individual scores by Indians down under. Best Bowling Figures by Indian Bowlers in Australia in ODIs: Yuzvendra Chahal to Javagal Srinath.
1. Rohit Sharma – 171 in Perth, 2016
It was the opening ODI of India’s 2016 Tour of Australia and the Men in Blue elected to bat first. They got off to a terrible start with opener Shikhar Dhawan dismissed for just nine runs. However, Rohit Sharma had other ideas as he played a magnificent knock. After batting steadily in the initial half, he shifted gears later in the innings and brought up a brilliant ton. Extending his blitzes further, he scored 171 off 163 balls – helping India post 309/3. His efforts, unfortunately, went in vain as Australia won by seven wickets.
2. Sourav Ganguly – 141 in Adelaide, 2000
The southpaw was at the top of his A-game when India met arch-rivals Pakistan in the ninth match of Carlton & United Series 2000. The Men in Blue got off to a flying with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly adding 88 runs for the first wicket. While the Master Blaster was dismissed for 41, the latter went on to score a brilliant century. In total, he scored 141 off 144 balls as India posted 267/6 and eventually won the game by 48 runs.
3. Yuvraj Singh – 139 in Sydney, 2004
Yuvraj was on full song during the seventh match of India’s 2004 tour of Australia. The visitors were struggling at 80/3 when the southpaw came into bat. However, he joined forces with VVS Laxman and the duo’s 213-run stand guided India to safety. While both batsmen scored centuries, it was Yuvraj’s blitzes in the end overs which powered India to 296/4. However, the home team went on to win the game by two wickets.
4. Rohit Sharma – 138 in Melbourne, 2015
Rohit Sharma’s knack of scoring daddy hundreds puts him twice in this list. The occasion was the second game of 2015 tri-series and the venue was the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). While Mitchell Starc’s thunderbolts jolted down India’s batting order, the Hitman remained strong at his end. He scored 138 off 139 balls as India posted a respectable total of 267/8. However, the Aussies put up a better batting show and registered a four-wicket triumph.
5. Shikhar Dhawan – 137 in Melbourne, 2015
Rohit’s partner-in-crime Shikhar Dhawan features fifth in this list. India were under the pump after losing Hitman for a duck against South Africa in the group stage of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. However, Dhawan didn’t put a foot wrong and played a sensible knock. While he respected the good deliveries, the bad ones were smashed for runs. His 146-ball 137 powered guided India to 307/7 and subsequently a 130-run win.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma will not be a part of the upcoming series owing to the hamstring injury. Nevertheless, the likes of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Virat Kohli are very well able to pile a mountain of runs. At the same time, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Navdeep Saini are most likely to form a pace trio while Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal will do the damage with their spinning deliveries.
