I am no professional cricketer so I am not within my rights to give any expert comments of any cricketer. But I will make an exception for this particular topic of the 5 worst innings by indian batsmen. I am only including one day innings as it is very difficult to analyze test match innings. They are in no particular order but these are 5 of the worst innings ever by indian batsmen.
Venue - Lords Cricket Ground, London
Date - 7th June 1975
Opposition - England
Toss - England
Result - England Won By 202 Runs
Final Score Card - England 4/334 and India 3/132
HERO of the day - Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar played epic innings of 36 not out as an opening batsman.
Scored of just 174 balls and it even included one four. This innings came just a few years after the historic test win against West Indies in West Indies and after Sunil Gavaskar was established as the world’s best batsman and probably the NEXT Don Bradman.
Venue - W.A.C.A Ground, Perth
Date - 22nd February 1992
Opposition - England
Toss - England
Result - England Won by 9 Runs
Final Score Card - England 9/236 and India 10/227
HERO of the day - Ravi Shastri
India has had a long tour to Australia and are much experiences with the cricketing conditions. Opening match of the world cup and could have been easily won by India. The Great Ravi Shastri Opens the innings and scores 57 of 112 balls (More then 60 balls without scoring..that is playing 10 overs without scoring a single run..and we loose by 9 runs). No comments further.
Venue - Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
Date - 1st March 1992
Opposition - Australia
Toss - Australia
Result - Australia Won By one Run
Final Score Card - Australia 9/237 and India 10/234
HERO of the day - Ravi Shastri
History Repeats itself twice. Way back in 1987 world cup India lost to australia by 1 run. Again in 1992 world cup they loose by one run. A rain affected match meant revised target of 236 in 47 overs. The Great Ravi Shastri again plays a superb innings of 25 as an opener of just 75 balls with one four. (Again more then 60 balls without scoring). HAd we won this match and the one against England we would have easily earned a semi final place.
Venue - Wankhede Stadium, Bombay
Date - 5th November, 1987
Opposition - England
Toss - India
Result - England Won by 35 Runs
Final Score Card - England 6/254 and India 10/219
HERO of the day - Sunil Gavaskar
After some Brilliant performances in the league matches, Sunil Gavaskar let down the country and his fans. This was to be his final match in his hometown and what a difference it would have made had Gavaskar Played a hero’s innings. It is still rumored that Gavaskar did not want to play in calcutta thats why he purposely got out but then its is ONLY a RUMOR. What did Sunny Score?? 4 of 7 balls (that was a boundary) before being bowled to Philp DeFraitas.
Venue - New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Date - 23rd March, 2003.
Opposition - Australia.
Toss - India
Result - Australia Won By 125 Runs.
Final Score Card - Australia 2/359 and India 10/234
HERO of the day - Sachin Tendulkar
This was D-Day. Sachin Tendulkar had a brilliant Run till the finals. He had scored 669 Runs in his previous ten matches (66.9 runs per match is a brilliant average for an opener) He failed when it mattered the most. First Of all Captain Saurav Ganguly complains of not winning tosses and when he does, that too in a crucial world cup final match, he digs his own grave by asking the opposition to bat first. On top of that they score 359. On top of that the hero of the world cup, due to which we made it till the final makes just 4 runs and plays the most stupid shot to get out to Glen McGrath (Simple Caught and Bowled). Australia DID NOT score 359 by just hitting boundaries. 203 runs of 359 came of singles and doubles. That is where Australia won and India lost. It would have been an entire different story had india batted first (Even then if india would have lost it would not have been a great deal) but Sachin Let the entire country down. The only silver lining is that we lost to a TITAN.
Before I finish let me include this GEM of an innings by Opening Batsman cum opening Bowler Manoj Prabhakar.
Venue - Green Park, Kanpur
Date - 30th October, 1994
Opposition - West Indies
Toss - India
Result - West Indies Won by 46 Runs
Final Score Card - West Indies 6/257 and India 5/211
HERO of the day - Manoj Prabhakar
This was the triangular series in India and the other two opponents were New Zealand and West Indies. Manoj Prabhakar Should have had been chucked out from the team PERMANENTLY at that time (He was only given a one match suspension along with Nayan Mongia). This was THE match in which Manoj Prabhakar was said to have deliberately played slow to loose. He did a ’’Sunil gavaskar’’. Although he made 102 and remained not out till he end. It came of 154 balls (including 9 fours). Played more then 60 dot balls. In the last few overs when the required run rate was over 6 runs an over, The great Manoj Prabhakar and the the more Great Nayan Mongia play it like a test match. Nayan Mongia even played a maiden over. He hit 4 NOT OUT of 21 balls.