Highest score by an Indian in ODIs while batting at no.7 or below in a successful run chase

Cricket is a batsman's game however, sometimes top-order batsman fails to deliver. That is when the lower middle order comes into action. Although people do not expect them to be as skilled as the top order batsmen, they wish the lower middle order would take them over the line. In this article, we will take a look at the highest score by an Indian in ODIs who came at the pitch at no.7 or after and completed a successful run chase.

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Highest Score by an Indian batsman at no.7 or after in a successful run chase:

5. MS Dhoni (67* v Zimbabwe, 2005)

Yuvraj Singh stroked a fabulous hundred and Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a responsible 63-ball 67. MSD came to bat at no. 7 after the top order failed to give a good start. Out of the top-4, only Sehwag made it to a double-digit score of 12 whereas Ganguly, Kaif and Dravid were all out for single-digit scores. However, Yuvi came strong and sent the balls out of the park and scored a brilliant 120 of 124 deliveries and eventually got out caught. Dhoni made sure he stayed through the end and successfully chased a target of 251.

4. Deepak Chahar (69* v Sri Lanka, 2021)

Things pretty much went out of hand for India on Tuesday against Sri Lanka while chasing 276. Although the top 3 combinations of Shaw, Dhawan and Kishan failed, Manish Pandey and Yadav kept Indian hopes alive in the middle of the pitch. However, things started to become shaky when SKY fell on 53 with India 115 runs away from victory and with only four wickets in hand. Sri Lanka was all set to level the series but Deepak Chahar had other ideas. The bowling all-rounder of CSK turned things around for India as he went on to score 69 of 82 balls and steered a wobbly India to a 9th consecutive bi-lateral series win against the Lankan lions. However, the support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar from the other end was unmatchable as he scored a very dependable 28-ball 19.

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3. Mohammad Kaif (71* v Pakistan, 2004)

We date back to March 21, 2004, in Lahore for the 4th ODI when India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets with 30 balls remaining. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first and put up a mammoth 293 runs on the board. Things got hard for India when the top four of India's batting orders were out after hardly crossing the 20s. Sehwag, Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly were all sent to the Pavilion very early in the innings. However, popularly known as the Wall, Rahul Dravid came to the rescue and scored an unbeaten 92 balls 76. Mohammad Kaif was there till the end with Dravid and scored a blistering 71 of 77 balls after coming in at no. 7. The duo chased down the target rather easily which was looking quite impossible after four early wickets.

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2. MS Dhoni (76* v Pakistan, 2006)

MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh's mind-boggling partnership overshadowed the heroic 95 from Sachin Tendulkar. The match between India vs Pakistan is always intense and the 2006 India tour of Pakistan was nothing less. After winning the toss India put their arch-rivals to bat and the men in green put up a total of 288 in 50 overs. The top order collapsed other than Sachin and the ever-dependable duo of Yuvi-Dhoni came to the rescue. Yuvraj scored 79 runs off 87 deliveries after coming in at no.5. On the other hand, Dhoni thrashed an unbeaten 72 runs off just 46 balls with a strike rate of 156 after coming in at no.7.

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1. Mohammad Kaif (87* v England, 2002)

One of the greatest ODIs in the history of international cricket was played between India and England in the 2002 Natwest Series final in the home of cricket Lords. Sourav Ganguly produced one of the most iconic moments in cricket history by taking off his shirt after India clinched a narrow victory. Mohammad Kaif was the hero of the match and he will further become the record holder of the highest score by an Indian in ODIs while batting at no.7 or below in a successful run chase. India winning the Natwest series overshadowed the brilliant centuries of Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain. Two half-centuries from captain Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh set the platform for Kaif. However, things got hard with time as wickets continue to fell in quick succession. In the end, team India managed a narrow victory in the final over of the game and Kaif was unbeaten at 87 off just 75 deliveries.