The last game played by a professional player holds a special place in their life. It is that game after which he/she bids farewell to the game after dedicating their hard work towards the sport. That being said, let us look at 5 Indian players with the highest score in their last ODI game.
1. Ajay Jadeja, 93 (103) vs Pakistan, 5th Match, Asia Cup, June 03, 2000:
Ajay Jadeja was an exceptional batsman. The right-handed batsman’s performances often helped swing the game India’s way. He always wore a smile on his face, even at those times when his team was in trouble. However, his career was not a very long one, as he was banned from all the formats of the game for a 5-year period in the year 2000. However, he made his mark when he played for Team India.
He was an excellent fielder as well. His last ODI match saw him putting on a show. The Indian side was crumbling against Pakistan in the 5th match of the Asia Cup in the year 2000. Ajay Jadeja came in to bat at number 5 and struck a score of 93 runs after facing 103 deliveries. India went on to lose the match by 44 runs however, Ajay Jadeja’s innings helped India close the gap to the target.
2. Gagan Khoda, 89 (129) vs Kenya, 3rd Match, Coca-Cola Triangular Series, May 20, 1998:
Gagan Khoda was one of the best openers that Team India had. The right-handed, opening batsman in Khoda, was extremely talented and had a beautiful career at the junior level. He struck a century on his Ranji Trophy debut. His 237-run knock in the Ranji Trophy quarter made him seem like an extremely promising young talent. However, he was not given enough opportunities to prove his worth.
His career was extremely short and he represented Team India in only 2 ODI matches. He scored a brilliant 89 off 129 deliveries against Kenya in the third match of the Coca-Cola Triangular Series in 1998. His valuable contributions to Team India’s chase won him the Man of the Match award. Khoda, later, withdrew from playing the game of cricket.
3. Syed Abid Ali, 70 (98) vs New Zealand, 10th Match, Prudential World Cup, June 14, 1975:
Syed Abid Ali was an amazing all-rounder. He was a brilliant fielder, medium-fast bowler, and lower-order batsman. His 6-wicket haul, giving away 55 runs only, against Australia at Brisbane in 1967-68 was one of his most memorable performances as it was achieved on his Test debut. He was also splendid with the bat in the series. He was best suited for the limited format of the game, but even then, he managed to shine bright in Test cricket with his performances.
In the 1975 World Cup, his all-round performance was well appreciated. He was at the peak of his career. In the match against New Zealand, coming in at number 7, he scored 70 runs after facing 98 balls and also picked up 2 wickets giving away 35 runs in his 12-over spell for Team India. However, this was the last ODI game he played for Team India.
4. Rahul Dravid, 69 (79) vs England, 5th ODI, India tour of England, September 16, 2011:
Rahul Dravid is perhaps one of the most focused and established cricketers India has seen. He was that batsman for Team India who laid down the foundation with his orthodox techniques. Dravid was known for his long-batting durations as he had what it takes to hold his nerve and perform for his team. This showed his hard work and determination. He batted for 12 hours and 20 minutes to score a mammoth 270 runs after facing 495 balls which helped India win the match by an innings and 131 runs.
He has performed similarly on multiple occasions, contributing greatly to his team’s success. Dravid was an extremely gifted Test batsman. He took on a wide variety of bowling attacks. He was often considered best-suited for Test cricket only. However, he was still a batsman who had scored over 10,000 runs in the 50-over format, with 12 centuries and 83 half-centuries to his name. He scored 69 runs off 79 balls in his last ODI game against England in 2011.
5. Surinder Amarnath, 62 (75), 3rd ODI, India tour of Pakistan, November 3, 1978:
Surinder Amarnath was an aggressive left-handed batsman. He was former Indian captain, Lala Amarnath’s son. He was considered to be a cricket prodigy as he made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 15. Surinder was roped in for an unofficial Test match against Sri Lanka in 1975-76. This was his Test debut in which he scored a century, though it was an unofficial match. He went on to score a century against New Zealand in his official Test debut.
He performed decently well when he played against England, scoring two half-centuries. However, he was not allowed to prove his worth as he was dropped from the Indian side. He played 10 Tests and 3 ODI matches for Team India and he scored 8175 runs with the bat in his first-class career. In his last ODI game, he scored 62 runs after facing 75 deliveries against Pakistan.
