Top 5 Indian batting performances in ICC Champions Trophy : The ICC tournament, Champions Trophy 2017, gets under way in England from June 01, 2017. After enacting a high drama, “Will they / Wont’ they?”, BCCi finally (and quite rightly so) decided to send Team India to play in the same. Indian batsmen have done reasonably well in the tournament.
Let us take a look at 5 top Indian performances with the bat:-
- Saurav Ganguly (1998-2004) – 665 runs (3 centuries and 3 half centuries)
Saurav Ganguly is the top Indian scorer in the tournament’s history and occupies the fourth position in the overall top performers with the bat, just behind Chris Gayle, Mahela Jayawardane and Kumara Sangakkara.
He has accumulated a total of 665 runs from 11 innings (unbeaten twice) at an average of 73.88 at 83.12 strike rate. His personal best score has been an unbeaten 141* runs which came in the second semi-final encounter against South Africa at Nairobi in the year 2000. Ganguly also has 3 centuries and an equal number of half-centuries to his credit.
The second semi-final encounter took place at the Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi, on 13th October, 2000. Team India, led by Saurav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat.
Losing his opening partner, Sachin Tendulkar (39, 61m, 50b, 4*4)) with just 66 runs on the board in 14.1 overs, Ganguly and Rahul Dravid teamed together to add 145 runs in 25 overs for the second wicket. This partnership took the team to 211 runs for the loss of 2 wickets, when Dravid (58, 106m, 71b, 4*9) got out.
Another 82-run partnership for the third wicket between Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh (41, 39m, 35b, 4*6) in the next 9.5 overs for the third wicket placed the team in a respectable position at 293 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 49 overs, as Yuvraj departed.
Eventually the innings got over with 295 runs on the board for the loss of 6 wickets in 50 overs. The skipper, Ganguly, having faced 142 balls in an innings of 216 minutes, notched up an unbeaten 141* runs, aided by 11 fours and 6 towering sixes.
India eventually won the match by 95 runs, restricting South Africa to 200 runs in just 41 overs.
- Rahul Dravid (1998-2009) – 627 runs (6 half-centuries)
Following Ganguly closely on the heels is Rahul Dravid with an aggregation of 627 runs. Having featured in 15 innings (unbeaten twice), Dravid had averaged 48.23 with his best contribution of 76 runs. He had a 73.33 strike rate and six half-centuries to his credit.
His personal best of 76 runs, facing 103 deliveries, with the help of 4 fours came in the sixth match of Group A played against Pakistan at Super Sport Park, Centurion, on 26th September, 2009.
Electing to bat Pakistan put up 302 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs, backed by an excellent knock of 128 runs by Shoaib Malik and another useful contribution of 87 runs by Mohammad Yousuf and their fourth-wicket partnership of 206 runs in 32.2 overs.
Chasing 303 runs for a win, India lost their star opener, Sachin Tendulkar (8) very early in the innings. Dravid joined Gambhir and the duo added 67 runs in 11.4 overs for the second wicket. He also put up a partnership of 72 runs for the fifth-wicket alongwith Suresh Raina (46).
Eventually having been at the crease for 160 minutes, Dravid ended his innings after scoring 76 runs. However, this could not prevent India from suffering a defeat by 54 runs since the other batters down the line could not contribute much.
- Sachin Tendulkar (1998-2009) – 441 runs (1 century and 1 half century)
With an aggregate of 441 runs from 14 innings (twice unbeaten) at an average of 36.75, at a strike rate of 78.75, coupled with a century and a half-century, Sachin Tendulkar remains the third Indian highest run-scorer in the tournament history. His best individual contribution of 141 runs is the second highest individual score after Ganguly’s unbeaten 141*.
Sachin’s personal best score was achieved in the third quarter-final encounter against Australia, played on 28th October, 1998, at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka.
Put into bat, India lost their key opener, Saurav Ganguly (1) and skipper Mohd Azharuddin (0), very early in the match with just 8 runs on the board. Tendulkar took over charge and alongwith Rahul Dravid, added a very valuable 140 runs in 23.2 overs for the third wicket, before Dravid departed after contributing a very valuable 48 runs, facing 80 deliveries and with the help of 3 fours.
Later, partnering Ajay Jadeja (71, 85m, 65b, 4*5, 6*1), Sachin added 132 runs for the fourth wicket in 19 overs. Playing an innings of 191 minutes, facing 128 deliveries, Sachin notched up 141 runs, studded with 13 hits to the fence and 3 beyond, before being ‘run out’.
Sachin’s innings alongwith his partnerships with Dravid and Ajay Jadeja helped India ended their innings at 307 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 50 overs.
Chasing a target of 308 runs, Aussies’ innings folded up with just 263 runs on the board in 48.1 overs and India won the game by 44 runs.
Sachin also had an impressive bowling analysis in the match, picking up 4 wickets, giving away 38 runs in 9.1 overs.
- Virendra Sehwag (2002-2006) – 389 runs (1 century and 2 half centuries)
India’s yesteryear ‘hard hitting’ batsman, Virendra Sehwag is the fourth position on the list to Indian top scorers in the Champions’ Trophy.
In the four editions that he had featured, Sehwag has played in 10 innings and remained unbeaten on two occasions. At an average of 48.62 and a strike rate of 100.77, he has accumulated 389 runs with 126 runs being his personal best knock.
The 11th match in Pool 2 was played between India and England at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on 22nd September, 2002.
Opting to bat, England managed to put on 269 runs for the loss of 7 seven wickets in their quota of 50 overs, backed by excellent innings by the opener Nick Knight (50, 124m, 70b, 4*3) and Ian Blackwell (82, 91m, 68b, 4*6, 6*3).
For India, Aashish Nehra and Anil Kumble took 2 wickets each.
Chasing a target of 270 runs for a win, the Indian openers, Virendra Sehwag and Saurav Ganguly virtually treated the audience with an ‘run riot’. The duo put on 192 runs for the first wicket in 28.4 overs and virtually took the game away from the opposition.
Virendra Sehwag, known for his batting carnage took on the English bowlers head on and never allowed them to settle down. Staying put at the crease for 136 minutes, facing 104 deliveries, he notched up 126 runs, striking 21 fours and a solitary six in the process.
He was ably supported by Ganguly, who eventually remained unconquered after spending a little over three hours (183 minutes) in the middle. Facing 109 deliveries, Ganguly contributed 117* runs studded with 12 fours and 3 sixes.
India scored 271 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 39.3 overs and won the game by 8 wickets and 63 deliveries to spare.
- Shikhar Dhawan (2013) – 363 runs (with 2 centuries and 1 half century)
Another destructive batsman, Shikhar Dhawan, made his debut in the 2013 edition of the prestigious tournamnt. Playing in 5 innings, remaining unbeaten on one occasion, Dhawan had scored 363 runs at an average of 90.75, at a strike rate of 101.39 and 114 runs as his highest score.
The tournament opener of the previous edition was played between India and South Africa on 6th June 2013, at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Put into bat, Team India led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, managed to put up a massive 331 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. This was backed by an excellent batting display by the opener Shikhar Dhawan, who in an innings of 159 minutes, facing 94 deliveries and sending the Kookaburra to the fence 12 times and once beyond, notched a very valuable 114 runs at 121.27 strike rate.
Dhawan’s impressive batting display coupled with his first-wicket partnership of 127 runs in 21.2 overs alongwith Rohit Sharma (65, 96m, 81b, 4*8, 1*6) and another 83-runs second-wicket partnership in 13.2 overs alongwith Virat Kohli (31, 46m, 41b, 4*2), helped India put up such a huge total.
Indian bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (7-0-49-2), Umesh Yadav (10-0-75-2), Ishant Sharma (8-0-66-2) and Ravindra Jadeja (9-1-31-2) were successful in restricting the opposition to 305/10 in 50 overs and helped Team India win the match by 26 runs.
Dhawan was awarded the ‘Player of the match’ for his scintillating knock.
Eventually Team India went on to win the Championship by defeating England by 5 runs in the final and also got to keep the trophy.