5 memorable overseas ODI series wins for India

With a convincing 73-runs win against South Africa in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, India registered their 4th win in the 6-match series and took an unassailable lead against the hosts. Having been defeated in all the past 6 bilateral series against the Proteas in their own backyard, this maiden series win against the mighty team will certainly be remembered as a memorable win in the future.

Courtesy some impeccable batting performance by the top order and surprising-yet-exceptional performance by the spinners, Indian team completely dismantled South Africa on the field.

Winning a series overseas is a very huge thing in its own right and this win will definitely give the Indian team more confidence when they visit England, New Zealand and Australia in the future. In the past as well, India has registered some memorable wins overseas. As a nostalgic revisit to the past, we recall the times where India toppled the hosts to win the series.

Note- This list only includes wins in bilateral series or tri-series', hence World Cup victories, Champions Trophy wins and Asia Cup wins are not included. Moreover, the venue must not be neutral for all the teams, therefore India's 1998 Coca Cola Cup victory is also excluded.

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#5 India vs England (2014)

India's first bilateral series win in England

Before their 2014 tour to England, the Indian team had faced the English team in seven bilateral series in England, but failed to win even once. Following a 1-3 loss in the 5-match Test Series, India were already on the back foot to make a comeback on this all important tour. However, Indian team made a strong mark as the change of format did wonders for the Men in Blue.

After the first ODI in Bristol was washed out due to rain, India stream rolled the English team to win 3 matches on the trot. What's even more impressive was the margin of the victories - 133 runs in the 2nd ODI in Cardiff, 6 wickets in the 3rd ODI in Nottingham and 9 wickets in the 3rd ODI in Birmingham.

India might have lost the last ODI Leeds, but impressive performance by the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin empowered India to a 3-1 series win in England, their first ever bilateral ODI series win over the 'Founding Fathers of Cricket' in their own backyard.

#4 Tri-Nation series in West Indies (2013)

India overcame the odds to win a thrilling Final

When India arrived in the Caribbean Islands for the Tri-Nation ODI series, also involving Sri Lanka, they were fresh off their historic Champions Trophy campaign, where they were the only undefeated team. However, the tri-series started on a horrid note for them as they were defeated by the other teams in their first two matches, even conceding a bonus point in the defeat against Sri Lanka. In order to make it to the Finals, India had to win both the remaining fixtures with bonus points and boy, what a turnaround did we witness.

In their third match, India convincingly defeated hosts West Indies to earn a bonus point and then, in a do or die match, trumped Sri Lanka in a rain-affected match to eliminate the hosts from the tournament and set up a summit clash with their neighbours. Chasing a meager 202 in the Finals, India experienced a mini-collapse as they were restricted to 152/7.

Staging an impressive comeback, MS Dhoni, along with the tail, reduced the victory deficit to 15 runs with only 6 balls remaining. In one of the most memorable finishes, the then-skipper hit Shaminda Erranga for two sixes and a boundary to take the victory with two balls still remaining. India, who were on the verge of an early elimination from the tournament, emerged as the winner in one of the most thrilling tri-series of all time.

#3 Commonwealth Bank Series (2008)

The first memorable ODI series win for Captain MS Dhoni

In 2007, the Indian Cricket Team saw a change in the leadership as a young MS Dhoni was chosen as the new Captain of the limited overs side. Taking the team to a memorable win in the inaugural T20 World Cup and an ODI series win at home against arch-rivals Pakistan was a great start for the young skipper. However, a gruelling challenge was waiting for the Indian team as they traveled to Australia to take part in the Commonwealth Bank Series along with Sri Lanka. Till 2008, India had still not won even a single tri-series in Australia, hence they were facing the added pressure of breaking the jinx.

Things started off on an appalling note for India as their first two group matches were abandoned due to rain. However, two wins over Sri Lanka, apart from one against the hosts, meant that India finished second in the group stages, behind Australia. In an unbelievable turn of events, India overcame the odds against them to defeat the hosts in two straight Finals, winning the first one by 6 wickets and the second one by 9 runs. Sachin Tendulkar, in a deja vu to the historic Coca Cola Cup win of 1998, was the one who made the difference, with innings' of 117 and 91 in the Finals, as India clinched the Commonwealth Bank Trophy for the very first time.

#2 India vs Pakistan (2004)

India's most memorable overseas bilateral series win

When India visited Pakistan in 2004, it was the first bilateral series between the two arch rivals in over 5 years and India's first visit to Pakistan since the memorable 1989 series, where Sachin Tendulkar and Waqar Younis made their debuts. Hence, the excitement was at an all time high when India arrived for the 5-match ODI series in Karachi. Both the teams were full of exceptional talents and hence, a high voltage series was expected between the two neighbouring countries.

The series started off with a stellar match in Karachi, where India managed to squeeze past the hosts by a victory margin of 5 runs in one of the most intense ODI encounters of all time. Pakistan fought back to win the next two matches - winning the 2nd match by 12 runs that had a top-notch 141 by Tendulkar in a losing cause and the 3rd match by 4 wickets.

India's easy win in the 4th match raised the excitement of the final encounter to a new level. On the heels of an impressive 107 by VVS Laxman and flawless bowling by youngsters Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipaty Balaji, India won the match convincingly by 40 runs to register their first ever series win over Pakistan in Pakistan.

#1 Natwest Series (2002)

The victory that ushered a new era of Indian Cricket

Till the turn of the century, The Indian Cricket Team's record on overseas tours was, at best, disappointing. They used to win matches against the mighty Australians and The Proteas at home, but struggled against even Zimbabwe when on away tours. All that changed with just one win, one huge win at the Home of Cricket Lord's. It was a win that still remains as one of the most memorable ODI wins in India Cricket.

Facing Sri Lanka and hosts England in a tri-series, India were not the favourites to win the series due to their overseas record. However, after three rounds of group matches, it was India, along with the hosts England, that booked the slots for the Finals in Lords. Courtesy twin hundreds by Marcus Trescothick and English skipper Nasser Hussein, England piled up a mammoth total of 325/5. Chasing a target of 326 against an exceptional English bowling line-up was never an easy task and the Indian team, as expected, faltered during the chase.

After an explosive start by Virender Sehwag and skipper Sourav Ganguly, the Indian team experienced a mini-collapse as they lost their 5 top order batsmen for just 40 runs, reducing them to 146/5. In a flashback to their victorious 2000 U-19 World Cup campaign, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif stitched a partnership that took India out of the mud-hole. After Yuvraj was dismissed for 69 at 267, Kaif, with the help of Harbhajan Singh, kept the score-board ticking and took India close to the target.

With just 2 required of the last over, Zaheer Khan flicked the ball for a close single, but a failed run-out throw allowed them to take the second run to win the match for India. The image of Ganguly removing his shirt and whirling it from the balcony of Lords is still one of the most iconic images of Indian Cricket's history. Two new cricket stars were born that day and a new chapter was written in the history books as India emerged as the Natwest Champions.