Indian cricket’s long-standing search for a bowler who can contribute handily with the bat is well renowned. In the recently concluded second ODI, Deepak Chahar came in at number 8 and played a match-winning knock. Chahar might finally be the person who offers batting depth to the Indian team, while primarily being a wicket-taking fast bowler. In this article, we will look at six players with the highest ODI scores for India at number 8.
#6 Sunil Joshi 61* vs New Zealand, 14 November 1999
Chasing 237, India were in deep mud when Sunil Joshi came out to bat. Soon the seventh wicket fell and New Zealand looked poised for a very comfortable victory. However, Joshi played a fearless brand of cricket and struck a 46 run partnership for the eighth wicket with Nikhil Chopra. His 61 runs came at an impressive strike rate of 108.92. Joshi remained unbeaten, but New Zealand won by 48 runs.
#5 Irfan Pathan 64 vs Pakistan, 9 April 2005
In this game, India’s famed batting order collapsed against a disciplined Pakistani bowling attack. Irfan Pathan came to the rescue with a composed half-century, but it was not enough to avoid a 106 run defeat. He hit four sixes and two boundaries in his knock. But he had a bad day with the ball, conceding 67 runs without picking up a wicket.
#4 Ravindra Jadeja 66* vs New Zealand, 25 January 2014
This is an unforgettable game, as Ashwin and Jadeja’s partnership resulted in a tied contest. When MS Dhoni was dismissed, things looked gloomy, as India still needed 131 runs from 86 balls. With the series on the line, Jadeja played an absolute blinder. He scored 17 runs in the final over off Corey Anderson and was also India’s best bowler in the game.
#3 Ajit Agarkar 67* vs Zimbabwe, 14 December 2000
India batted first in a dead rubber and were 216/6 when Agarkar came to bat. He formed a superb partnership with Reetinder Sodhi to take India past the 300 mark. Agarkar got to his fifty in just 21 balls, smashing boundaries over the cow corner and the extra cover region. He still holds the record for the fastest ODI fifty ever by an Indian.
Agarkar’s 67 runs came at a staggering strike rate of 268. If he had got to the crease earlier, this innings would top the list of highest ODI scores for India at number 8.
#2 Deepak Chahar 69* vs Sri Lanka, 21 July 2021
Deepak Chahar has always been regarded as a handy batsman, but this was his first notable batting contribution for the Indian team. When Krunal Pandya was dismissed, India still required 84 runs in their chase. Chahar understood the situation perfectly and was ready to take the game to the very last over.
Chahar did not take any unnecessary risk, but was quick to put away any balls in the hitting zone. He was also lucky, as a few mistimed shots earned him crucial runs. However, he kept his cool and won the series with a boundary in the last over.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja 77 vs New Zealand, 9 July 2019
Topping the list of highest ODI scores for India at number 8 is a memorable but painful knock from Jadeja in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. From 92/6, Jadeja took India inches closer to victory before being dismissed by Trent Boult.
In a game where everyone struggled with the bat, Jadeja scored at a strike rate of 130 and struck a few monstrous blows. This is the kind of innings that deserves a victory, but India painstakingly fell short by 18 runs and were knocked out of the World Cup.
