5 instances when famous Indian batsmen played big knocks with a runner
Runner in cricket is something that almost many fans have forgotten these days. Before 2012, there was a rule in cricket that allowed batsmen to have one of their teammates as their runner, meaning when they hit the ball, the other player and the non-striker will run. The main batsman will stay at the crease and then move towards the square leg umpire.
Generally, the batsmen who were injured or tired after playing a marathon knock used the runners' rule. However, due to some controversies, the International Cricket Council (ICC) abolished it in the year 2011. Before the abolition, some famous Indian batsmen made use of this rule and played some big innings. Here's a throwback list of the instances when famous Indian batsmen used a runner and scored big.
1. VVS Laxman helped India win a Test with Suresh Raina as the runner
VVS Laxman will go down as one of the most successful Indian batsmen. He achieved the most success in the longest format of the game, with Australia being one of his favorite opponents.
In one of the last home Test matches of his career, VVS Laxman played a match-winning knock for India against Australia. India needed 216 runs to win, and they were down to 124/8. Laxman fought like a lone warrior and scored a half-century. He scored 73 runs, with Suresh Raina being his runner.
2. Virender Sehwag - Gautam Gambhir
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are famous for their opening partnerships. But in the 2011 Cricket World Cup opener, Gambhir came in as a runner for Sehwag.
Many fans would remember that Sehwag played a 175-run knock against Bangladesh in the first game of 2011 World Cup. Shortly after Sehwag completed his ton, Gambhir came in as a runner for him.
3. MS Dhoni scored 183* with Virender Sehwag as his runner
Many cricket fans consider MS Dhoni as one of the all-time greats. Dhoni was incredibly successful as the Indian captain, and he also played some memorable knocks for the nation.
His highest score for India in ODIs was 183*, achieved against Sri Lanka in October 2005. Dhoni was in destructive mood in that match, and Virender Sehwag helped him with his running.
4. VVS Laxman - Gautam Gambhir
VVS Laxman makes his presence felt on this list once again. Laxman scored another Test half-century of his career with a runner. It was against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in 2008, with Gautam Gambhir being his runner.
Interestingly, in the final part of the innings, both batsmen Laxman and Ishant Sharma had someone running for them. While Gambhir ran for Laxman, Parthiv Patel ran for Ishant.
5. MS Dhoni - Yuvraj Singh
MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh is a batting pair that has many fans worldwide. No cricket fan can forget the partnership they had against England in an ODI match at Cuttack in 2017.
10 years before that partnership, Singh came as a runner for MS Dhoni and helped India win a match. It was in a match against Bangladesh in 2007. Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik had a 107-run partnership for the sixth wicket that helped India beat Bangladesh by five wickets. Singh was Dhoni's runner as he scored 91 runs off 106 balls.