Birthday special: Dinesh Mongia – Top 3 performances in international cricket
Dinesh Mongia made his international debut in an ODI against Australia in Pune on March 28, 2001. The Chandigarh-born player went on to play 57 ODIs and one T20I for India. He amassed 1230 runs in ODIs at an average of 27.95 with one hundred and four fifties to his name.
He also picked up 14 wickets in his ODI career and was also a part of India’s squad for the 2003 ODI World Cup, when they reached the final after 20 years. As Mongia celebrates his 46th birthday, let’s take a look at his top three performances in international cricket:
3) 71 off 75 balls vs England, 1st ODI, January 19, 2002
India captain Sourav Ganguly once again opted to bat first in the first ODI of the six-match series. Coming in to bat at No. 3, Mongia walked to the crease with the score on 78/1 after 15 overs. He went on to top score for India scoring 71 off 75, smashing seven fours and a six in his innings and took them to a total of 281/8 in the first innings. In reply, England were bundled out for 259 with Marcus Trescothick being the lone warrior with his knock of 121 off 109 balls. As a result, India won the match by 22 runs and went 1-0 up in the series.
2) 74 off 104 balls vs West Indies, 3rd ODI, May 29, 2002
After the first two ODIs got washed out, captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bowl first against West Indies in May 2002. Indian bowlers came to the party and bundled out West Indies for 186, with Ajit Agarkar and Tinu Yohannan picking three wickets each. In reply, Mongia came to bat at No. 3` and played a brilliant knock of 74 off 104 balls, smashing nine fours in his innings. As a result, India won the match by seven wickets and 37 balls to spare and Mongia was awarded Player of the Match for top scoring from India.
1) 159* off 147 balls vs Zimbabwe, 5th ODI, March 19, 2002
After Indian captain Sourav Ganguly opted to bat first, Mongia vindicated his decision with his sublime knock in a 158-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh off 137 balls for the fifth wicket. The southpaw ended up scoring 159 off 147 balls, smashing 17 fours and a six to help India post 333/6 in the first innings. India ended up winning the match by a massive margin of 101 runs and clinched the series 3-2 as Mongia was deservedly awarded Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series for scoring 263 runs and picking three wickets.
