10-wicket wins in ODIs is something spectators don’t come across very often in 50-over cricket. Rare as it is, the result encapsulates a team’s dominance on the day.
The Indian cricket team, in fact, were the first-ever side to register a 10-wicket win in ODIs in 1975. They have since gone on to secure eight 10-wicket wins in ODIs.
Furthermore, all of India’s victories have come away from home.
Here we revisit the matches where India sealed a 10-wicket win in ODI matches.
East Africa vs India - 1975 Cricket World Cup (Leeds)
The 10-wicket win over East Africa will be forever memorable in Indian cricket history. Not only was it India’s first-ever win in a One Day International match, but it was also their first victory at a Cricket World Cup game.
In their second match at the inaugural Cricket World Cup in 1975, East Africa were bundled out for 120 after opting to bat first. Madan Lal was India’s best bowler with a haul of 3/15.
The opening pairing of Sunil Gavaskar (65*) and Farokh Engineer (54*) helped India to a score of 123/0 in 29.5 overs.
Sri Lanka vs India - 1984 Asia Cup (Sharjah)
In a low-scoring encounter between Sri Lanka and Sunil Gavaskar’s Indian cricket team at Sharjah, India chased a score of 97 in 21.4 overs.
After electing to bowl first, India restricted Sri Lanka to 96 all out in 41 overs. Chetan Sharma (3/22) and Madan Lal (3/11) were the most potent with the ball.
Surinder Khanna hit an unbeaten 69-ball 51 and was supported by Ghulam Parkar, who played a relaxed innings of 32 off 68 deliveries.
West Indies vs India - 1997 India tour of West Indies (Port of Spain)
India’s 10-wicket win over West Indies at Port of Spain is among the few victories of Sachin Tendulkar’s ill-fated ODI captaincy stint.
Having lost the series opener, India reduced the Windies to 121 all out in a rain-marred fixture. Handed a revised target of 113 to chase in 40 overs, Tendulkar (65*) and his opening partner Sourav Ganguly (39*) guided the visitors to victory in 23.1 overs.
Zimbabwe vs India - 1998 Champions Trophy final (Sharjah)
Sachin Tendulkar played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 124 off 92 balls to help India chase down 197 against Zimbabwe in the final of a tri-series at Sharjah.
Besides his influential knock, Tendulkar also dismissed Zimbabwe’s Eddo Brandes during his four-over spell with the ball.
Kenya vs India - 2001 Triangular Tournament (Bloemfontein)
An impressive four-wicket spell from Ajit Agarkar (4/27) inspired India to bowl out Kenya for 90.
Virender Sehwag’s unbeaten half-century (55) set the tone for a clinical chase as India got to the target of 91 in 11.3 overs.
Zimbabwe vs India - 2016 India tour of Zimbabwe (Harare)
India sealed their second 10-wicket win in ODIs against Zimbabwe with the help of Jasprit Bumrah’s 4/22 and fifties from KL Rahul (63*) and Faiz Fazal (55*).
After Zimbabwe were skittled out for 123 in the first innings, India eased to the target with the help of the openers in 21.5 overs to complete a 3-0 whitewash.
England vs India - 2022 India tour of England (The Oval)
India’s 10-wicket victory over England in July 2022 went down in the history books for multiple reasons. Firstly, India became the first team to beat the English in England by 10 wickets in ODIs. Secondly, Jasprit Bumrah registered the best figures by an Indian fast bowler (6/19) in men's ODIs in England.
Bowling first, India confined England to a score of 110 in 25.2 overs. In reply, the opening pairing of skipper Rohit Sharma (76*) and Shikhar Dhawan (31*) rounded up a historic victory in 18.4 overs.
Zimbabwe vs India - 2022 India tour of Zimbabwe (Harare)
KL Rahul got his first win as India captain across formats after his team registered a convincing 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the first game of a three-match series.
India bowled Zimbabwe out for 189 in the first innings after they were hit by a late surge of 70 runs from the hosts’ tail-enders.
Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill then proceeded to script a composed chase of 190 runs in 30.5 overs.
Author: William Paul
Featured photo: AFP / JEKESAI NJIKIZANA
