India's ten best successful run chases in ODIs

When their batting comes good, there is no stopping India. With their backs faced to the wall, and hopes of qualifying for the tri-series finals hanging by a thread, India's batsmen rose from the dead with an unbelievable performance to crush Sri Lanka at Hobart on Tuesday.

Set to score a mammoth 321 for victory inside 40 overs to secure the bonus point, India finished off the job in under 37 overs to keep their hopes alive in the tournament.

- Kohli on how India achieved the impossible at Hobart

Virat Kohli was the star of the dominating batting, smashing 133 runs from 86 balls to leave the Sri Lankans stunned.

This was the 10th occasion that India had chased down a target of 300 runs or more. This was also the quickest 300-plus successful run chase as India smashed their way to 321 for three in 36.4 overs.

Their highest run chase came nearly a decade ago when they chased down 326 against England in a thrilling finish at Lord's in July 2002.

A look at India's ten best successful run chases in ODIs.

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No one would have bet against England after they posted a huge 325 for five in their 50 overs, courtesy centuries from Marcos Trescothick (109) and captain Nasser Hussain (115).

Then India's never-say-die captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag boosted hopes with a blazing opening stand of 106 in 14.3 overs. But Ganguly (45) and Sehwag (60) departed in quick succession followed by a middle order's failure, as Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Mongia and Rahul Dravid also fell without contributing much.

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At 146 for five in the 24th over, England were firmly in the driver's seat and looked set for a big win till two young turks changed the script.

Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif turned the match on its head with a cracking 121-run partnership from just 106 balls before the left-hander was dismissed for 69.

Andrew Flintoff made it a tight finish with two wickets in the 48th over, but Kaif (87 not out from 75 balls) ensured India victory by two wickets with three balls to spare in a thrilling finish.

Result: India 326-8 (49.3 overs) beat England 325-5 (50) by three wickets at Lord's on July 13, 2002.

Chris Gayle had set the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad alight, smashing140 from 127 balls, while Ramnaresh Sarwan was unbeaten on 99 as the West Indies put up an imposing 324 for four in their 50 overs after being sent in to bat.

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India, without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, did not have the greatest of starts, with dashing opener Sehwag dismissed cheaply for four. But the experienced middle order came to the party, with VVS Laxman hitting a fluent 66 from 74 balls, while Dravid anchored the Indian innings with a splendid unbeaten century, scoring 109 from 124 balls.

For once, Sanjay Bangar threw caution to the wind with an attacking innings of 57 not out from 41 balls to take India home in the 48thover.

Result: India 325-5 (47.4 overs) beat West Indies 324-4 (50) by five wickets at Motera, Ahmedabad on November 15, 2002.

Yusuf Pathan proved his credentials with a match-winning maiden ODI century that set up India's big run chase in Bangalore.

New Zealand had taken apart the Indian bowlers in the final few overs to score 315 for seven, courtesy James Franklin, who smashed 98 not out from 69 balls.

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India, fielding a depleted team and led by Gautam Gambhir, kept themselves in the hunt with an attacking approach right from the start. But all the batsmen got off to starts before throwing their wickets away.

It was left to Pathan to save the day. The ball kept disappearing to all parts of the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore as he unleashed a ferocious attack on the hapless Kiwi bowlers. He blazed his way to 123 not out from 96 balls, hitting seven sixes and seven fours, to give India victory by five wickets with seven deliveries to spare.

Result: India 321-5 (48.5 overs) beat New Zealand 315-7 (50) by five wickets at Bangalore, on December 7, 2010.

Virat Kohli played the innings of his life to keep India's hopes alive of making it to the CB tri-series finals. The youngster smashed an unbeaten 133 as India chased down a mammoth 321-run target in under 37 overs against Sri Lanka in Hobart to stay alive in the tournament.

To retain any hope of qualifying for the best-of-three finals against an already qualified Australia, India needed to reach their target in 40 of the 50 overs allocated to earn a bonus point.

- Kohli on how India achieved the impossible at Hobart

The 23-year-old Kohli hit 16 boundaries and two sixes in his 86-ball knock as the 50-over World champions got to 321 for three wickets in 36.4 overs.

The right-hander added 115 runs for the third wicket with Gautam Gambhir (63) and then stitched together 120 runs with Suresh Raina (40 not out) for the unbroken fourth wicket to ensure India won with a bonus point.

Openers Virender Sehwag (30) and Sachin Tendulkar (39), who once again failed in his bid to score his 100th international ton, provided a brisk start but it was left to Kohli to guide the team to victory.

Centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara had earlier powered Sri Lanka to a massive 320 for four in their 50 overs.

Dilshan (160 not out) equalled his highest score in one-day internationals and added 200 for the second wicket with Sangakkara (105) after India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted to field after winning the toss.

Result: India 321-3 (36.4 overs) beat Sri Lanka 320-4 (50) by seven wickets at Hobart on February 28, 2012.

Owais Shah was the unfortunate batsman as England lost despite the right-hander blasting 95-ball 107 to power the hosts to 316 for six in their 50 overs at the Oval in London.

There was no stopping once the openers; Ganguly and Tendulkar had put on 150 runs for the opening wickets in 22.2 overs before the former was dismissed for 53.

Tendulkar was unlucky to miss out on a century as he fell for 94 (81 balls) but Robin Uthappa held his nerve in a tight finish.

The right-hander smashed 47 not out from 33 balls as India sneaked home by two wickets with two balls to spare.

India needed 10 runs from the final over for victory and Uthappa finished off things by smashing Stuart Broad for back-to-back boundaries off the third and fourth ball of that over.

Result: India 317-8 (49.4 overs) beat England 316-6 (50) by two wickets at the Oval in London, on September 5, 2007.

Despite the huge target of 316, India cruised to a seven-wicket victory with 11 deliveries to spare, courtesy centuries from Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli.

Sri Lanka's huge total of 315 for six was set up by Upul Tharanga's hundred (118), while captain Kumar Sangakkara hit 60 from 72 balls at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

India were reeling at 23 for two in the fourth over when both openers Tendulkar and Sehwag were dismissed cheaply. But Gambhir and Kohli took centre-stage as the Delhi duo added 224 runs for the third wicket to take the game away from the visitors in some style.

Gambhir finished unbeaten on 150 from 137 balls, while Kohli registered his maiden international century as he stroked 107 from 114 balls.

Result: India 317-3 (48.1 overs) beat Sri Lanka 315-6 (50) by seven wickets at Kolkata, on December 24, 2009.

Run chases in excess of 300 were a rare thing in the 1990s. So it was a big achievement when India trounced arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling record run chase in the final of the Independence Cup in Dhaka in 1998.

In fact, India created a new world record then for chasing the largest total in ODIs as they scored 316 for seven in 47.5 overs in a match reduced to 48 overs because of bad light.

India captain Mohammad Azharuddin's decision to put Pakistan in backfired as they posted a huge 314 for five in the 48 overs a side affair. Saeed Anwar proved to be the thorn in the flesh for the Indian bowlers yet again as he stroked his way to 140 from 132 balls, while Ijaz Ahmed was the other centurion for the Pakistanis, scoring 117 from 112 balls.

In reply, Tendulkar and Ganguly came out all guns blazing during the opening stand of 71 from 50 balls.

Robin Singh's promotion to number three as pinch-hitter also worked for India as the left-hander smashed 82 from 83 balls to give Ganguly good company in the middle overs as India were sitting pretty at 250 for one in 38 overs.

The rest of the middle order failed to deliver as wickets kept tumbling, but Ganguly kept India in the hunt with a sparkling knock of 124 from 138 balls, inclusive of 11 fours and a six.

The match went into the final over and Hrishikesh Kanitkar hit the winning runs, dispatching Saqlian Mushtaq for a boundary off the penultimate ball of the match.

Result: India 316-7 (47.5 overs) beat Pakistan 314-5 (48) by three wickets at Dhaka, on January 18, 1998.

It turned out to be a contest between the batting line-ups of India and Sri Lanka on a flat pitch at the National stadium in Karachi.

Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 308 for eight in their 50 overs, with three batsmen going past the half-century mark. But what was evident from the first innings' show was that no total was safe on that dream batting wicket, and that was proved when India's batsmen started firing on all cylinders.

As always, Sehwag provided the burst at the start, smashing 42 from 34 balls during his 92-run opening stand with Gambhir off just 70 balls.

Gambhir stroked 68 from 61 balls, while Suresh Raina smashed 54 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni 67, to show off India's batting prowess and give them an easy victory.

This was the second time in the tournament, the 2008 Asia Cup, that India successfully chased down a target in excess of 300.

Result: India 310-4 (46.5 overs) beat Sri Lanka 308-8 (50) by six wickets at Karachi, on July 3, 2008.

It was South Africa all the way when they elected to bat at the Nehru stadium in Kochi as both their openers, Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten, stroked centuries in a massive 235-run opening stand.

The Hansie Cronje-led team made most of that solid platform to end up with 301 for three and leave India with a stiff task to win the match.

The Indian batsmen all got set but none stayed on to play the big knock before Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh took on the onus on themselves.

Being reduced to 180 for five after 33 overs, India were struggling to stay in the contest before Jadeja hit 92 from 109 balls and Singh smashed a quick 42 from 43 balls to put the chase back on track.

The match finished off in some controversy as the two teams walked off believing India had won the match before being called back again. Robin Singh and Anil Kumble were called back to score the single run needed for victory after the four that was declared off the previous ball was changed to three.

The two teams returned to the field again and India completed victory by three wickets with two balls to spare.

Result: India 302-7 (49.4 overs) beat South Africa 301-3 (50) by three wickets at Kochi, on March 9, 2000.

When Virender Sehwag gets going, no target is beyond India's reach. And that proved true in Karachi in June 2008 when India easily chased down a target of 300 by six wickets with nearly eight overs to spare.

Sehwag dominated from the outset as he smashed 119 from a mere 95 balls, hitting 12 fours and five sixes. Suresh Raina was equally effective with the bat, hitting 84 from 69 balls, while Yuvraj Singh made 48 from 47 balls.

It was absolute carnage in the middle as Sehwag and Raina blasted the bowlers to all parts of the park, during their second wicket partnership of 198 runs off 148 balls.

Shoaib Malik, who was promoted to open the innings, hit a century (125) to take Pakistan to a huge 299 for four in their 50 overs. However, in the end the total proved too little for the rampaging Indians.

Result: India 301-4 (42.1 overs) beat Pakistan 299-4 (50) by six wickets at Karachi, on June 26, 2008.