Indian Batsmen With Slowest Hundreds In ODI Cricket
Updated - 01 Jun 2020, 01:08 AM
Indian batsmen have always been renowned for their penchant for churning out hundreds on a consistent basis.
From Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to Sourav Ganguly to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the baton has been passed seamlessly across generations and if you look at the numbers in all formats of the game, as far as scoring hundreds is concerned, you’ll find Indians ruling the roost.
But that is not to say every hundred that Indian batsmen have scored have come at a fair clip. We have seen on numerous occasions, Indian batsmen, due to their lack of form or due to the playing conditions or match-situation at hand, score hundreds at a fairly slow pace.
Here’s a look at Indian batsmen with slowest hundreds in ODI cricket-
Also Read: Five Biggest Upsets In ODI Cricket Since 2000
Sourav Ganguly (136 balls)
The 2000 ODI series between India and South Africa is remembered for all the wrong reasons [Read: Hansie Cronje and match-fixing] but it is worth noting that this was Sourav Ganguly’s first series as captain.
Ganguly had a brilliant start to his captaincy career as India registered a brilliant three-wicket win in the first ODI. The second ODI at Jamshedpur too went in his sides’ favor and the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ was at its forefront.
After having dismissed South Africa for 199, India had lost a couple of early wickets in the form of Sachin Tendulkar [21] and Sunil Joshi when the Indian captain decided to take matters into his own end. With the required run-rate, not a worry, Ganguly bided his time, playing a mature knock.
He brought his hundred in 136 balls as the home side went on to register an easy six-wicket win.
Sachin Tendulkar (138 balls)- Twice
When: India vs Sri Lanka, Sharjah 2000 & India vs Bangladesh, Dhaka 2012
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar registered two of his slowest hundreds off 138 balls and unfortunately in both games, he ended up on the losing side.
The first instance came during the first game of the 2000 tri-nation https://sportzwiki.com/wiki/manoj-prabhakarseries in Sharjah against Sri Lanka. Sachin played a lone hand of 101 off 140 balls even as wickets continued to fall from the other end. His hundred helped India post 8-224 in 50 overs; a target which was chased down by the Lankans with ease in 43.5 overs.
Ajay Jadeja (138 balls)
Ajay Jadeja is fondly remembered for his absolute annihilation of Waqar Younis in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final. But three years later, Jadeja played another crucial knock that may not have helped India to a win but it certainly salvaged some pride for the beleaguered Men in Blue.
Chasing 283 to win against Australia, Glenn McGrath had removed the cream of the Indian batting-unit, reducing them to 4-17 when Jadeja and Robin Singh came together at the crease.
The duo went on to accumulate 141 runs for the fifth wicket. Robin Singh scored 79 while Ajay Jadeja stayed unbeaten at 138-ball 100 even as India lost the game by 77 runs.
Sourav Ganguly (141 balls)
With Ajay Jadeja dismissed cheaply for 11, India needed the duo of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid to step-up and provide a solid base for the middle and lower order.
And, that is exactly what they did!
Dravid scored at close to run-a-ball during his 118-ball 116 while Ganguly played cautious knock, completing his century in 141 deliveries.
Ganguly, however, stepped on the accelerator once he got to his hundred as he racked up the next 30 runs in 19 deliveries. India eventually posted 4-287 and if his contribution with the bat was not enough, Ganguly proceeded to claim four Sri Lankan wickets [4-21] as the island nation was eventually knocked over for 207.
Vinod Kambli (149 balls)
When: India vs England, 2nd ODI, 1993
Vinod Kambli was known for his flamboyant strokeplay which is precisely why it is hard to fathom his 149-ball 100* during the 2nd ODI of the 1993 series against England.
With India having lost three wickets at the score of 59, Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar were primed with the task of steadying the fledgling ship. And, while Sachin was at his swashbuckling best [82* off 81 balls], Kambli never really stepped up the accelerator as he finished with an unbeaten 100 off 149 balls.
India posted 3-223 in 48 overs, a target which was easily gunned down by England with four wickets still in the hut.
Manoj Prabhakar (151 balls)
Easily one of the most controversial hundreds scored by an Indian batsman. And, probably the first time when a cricketer was suspended after having scored a three-figure score.
It all happened during the fourth match of the 1994 Wills World Series between India and the West Indies. Needing 257 to win, Manoj Prabhakar scored a painstaking 102* off 154 balls as the Men in Blue lost the game by 46 runs.
What was more outrageous was the fact that both Prabhakar and Nayan Mongia [4* off 21 balls] did not show any intent whatsoever in the final ten overs. The duo played as if it was a Test match, leaving balls outside the off-stump even as the asking rate climbed past six.
With India requiring 63 runs off the last nine overs, the duo added a mere 16 runs. Needless to say, both Prabhakar and Mongia were suspended for the rest of the series.
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Manoj Prabhakar ODI Cricket Sachin Tendulkar Sourav Ganguly Vinod Kambli
