Once you are handed over the onus of leading a team in the international circuit, your shoulders get burdened with all the load of the world that includes facing the media, clubbing those tough questions out of the park with a smile on your face, or standing right in front of a hungry pack and lead them to glory against extra-terrestrial opponents. captains play a huge part in a team’s success.
The aforementioned description may sound like a story from ancient folklore but then captains always have it tough. Sleepless nights, half-filled bellies, and a head filled with tensions and dreams that can uplift the entire band of players to a realm of dreams which may seem unachievable at first.
We will be looking at captains who were successful in stringing half-centuries in all three matches of an ODI series, barring the onus of leading the contingency from the front.
Mohammad Azharuddin versus Sri Lanka in 1993
One of the most contrasting characters in the history of Indian cricket who has tasted fame like none other and equally tasted darkness that has come nowhere close to any other cricketer in the Indian roster, Mohammad Azharuddin pulled off this heroic feat in 1993.
Despite bowling out to Sri Lanka in the series, Azhar crafted half-centuries in all the three games of the series, being the solitary shaft of hope in an otherwise emasculated Indian batting line-up. He crafted a brilliant 53 in the first game that was won by India. The second game of the series went right down the wire that saw India coming within touching distance of the winning margin, but they fell short by 8 runs. Azhar blasted a brilliant 62 in this game too.
The final match of the series was also a very closely-contested encounter that saw India piling up 227 on the board. Azharuddin clubbed the Sri Lankan bowlers for a phenomenal 85. Unfortunately, the Indian bowlers were unable to hold the fort and succumbed to Sri Lanka with three balls to spare.
Brendan Taylor versus New Zealand in 2011
This was a poor show from Zimbabwe as a collective unit but Brendan Taylor outshone everyone else in his team. In the first ODI, out of the 231 runs that were scored by Zimbabwe, Taylor struck a fine 128 and stayed unbeaten till the end.
He followed it with another scintillating century that saw him staying unbeaten for another 107 but the Zimbabwean batters were not really up to the mark who could have provided industrious support to their skipper in order to derail the Kiwi dreams of winning the game.
The final game of the series was an absolute cracker that saw Zimbabwe chasing down a mammoth total 329 courtesy of a lovely 75 from Taylor and an exotic 99 from Malcolm Waller.
Brendon Mc Cullum versus England in 2013
This was a special showdown from Baz who spearheaded the Kiwi charge against England in 2013. He played a fabulous knock of 69 in the opening game that saw New Zealand successfully chasing down a total of 259 with three wickets to spare.
Despite a battle from Mc Cullum in the second ODI that saw him stitching together a blistering 74 from only 36 deliveries, the other New Zealand batsmen failed to live up to their expectations and England managed to level the series.
The decider of the series saw the Kiwi batsmen crumbling like a house of cards against a mighty English bowling line-up. However, in an otherwise dark sky, Baz played a fine knock of 79, trying to salvage some prestige for the hosts.
Aaron Finch versus India in 2020
India was recently tamed by Australia in the ODI series that saw the hosts taking an unassailable lead in the first two ODI of the series. Aaron Finch slammed an exquisite 114 from 124 deliveries that helped Australia reach a mammoth total of 374.
The second match between India and Australia saw Finch smashing another 60 that was also instrumental in setting the tone for India’s doom.
The final game between the two sides saw Finch firing another irrepressible 75 but it wasn’t enough to stop the Indian bowlers from wreaking havoc in the Australian batting line up, shredding them to the last atom. Both the captains in this particular series set their game high.
