Top 5 ODI knocks by New Zealand batsmen in India

#2 Chris Cairns 103 (Pune 1995)

Chris Cairns was New Zealand’s ‘go-to man’ in both formats of the game

Chris Cairns was one of the most underrated players of his time but his all-round feats in tests and ODIs are remarkable by any yardstick. He is one of a handful of players who scored more than 4000 runs and took more than 200 wickets in ODIs.

Cairns was a fierce striker of the ball who could smash sixes at will and possessed the ability to score runs at a galloping pace. On numerous occasions, he turned the match on its head with his belligerent batting or canny medium pace.

When Cairns came to bat, the Kiwis were staring down the barrel at 75/4. Cairns produced a scintillating 103 off just 87 balls which propelled the Kiwis to a respectable total of 235. While no other batsman could score even one six in the match, Cairns managed to hit four maximums in his breathtaking innings thus revealing his penchant for big shots.

With the ball too, Cairns was equally brilliant and took 3/37 off 10 overs. However, he lacked support from other bowlers and India overcame the target without breaking a sweat. Despite delivering a magnificent all-round performance, Cairns could not save his team from a crushing defeat and had to be content with the ‘Man of the Match’ honour.