Team India is one of the few teams to have won the ODI World Cup twice or more. The Men in Blue became world champions in 1983 under Kapil Dev. Then MS Dhoni repeated that success in 2011 with the World Cup win. India always enters any big tournament among the favorites to win the championship.
But the Indian team have also struggled in at times and suffered some big defeats. Notably, India holds the record for the biggest win in the 50-over format and is the only team to win an ODI by a margin of over 300 runs. But what is the biggest loss India has suffered? This article will include the biggest defeats for the Indian team in ODI cricket.
Highest Win Margin in ODI vs India
| Team | Margin | Target | Venue | Date |
| Sri Lanka | 245 runs | 300 | Sharjah | 29 Oct 2000 |
| South Africa | 214 runs | 439 | Wankhede | 25 Oct 2015 |
| Australia | 208 runs | 360 | Sydney | 8 Feb 2004 |
| England | 202 runs | 335 | Lord’s | 7 Jun 1975 |
| New Zealand | 200 runs | 289 | Dambulla | 10 Aug 2010 |
| Pakistan | 180 runs | 339 | The Oval | 18 Jun 2017 |
| Australia | 162 runs | 321 | Nottingham | 13 Jun 1983 |
| Sri Lanka | 161 runs | 349 | Kingston | 2 Jul 2013 |
| Pakistan | 159 runs | 304 | Delhi | 17 Apr 2005 |
| South Africa | 157 runs | 249 | Durban | 22 Nov 2006 |
3. Australia (208 runs) vs India in February 2004
Team India has lost five games over the margin of 200 runs in ODI cricket. Their third biggest loss came against Australia in the 2008 VB series final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was the second game of best of three finals. Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. Matthew Hayden gave them a great start and smashed a century. He made 126 off 122, with 11 fours and three sixes.
Damien Martyn (67) and Andrew Symonds (66) also helped the hosts reach a big total of 359/5 in the first inning. It was a mountain to climb for the Indians. But the batted failed badly. None of the batters even reached 40 runs. They got bowled out for 151 runs in 33.2 overs and lost the game by 208 runs.
2. South Africa (214 runs) vs India in October 2015
India suffered their second biggest ODI loss in October 2015 when they traveled to South Africa for five ODIs. It came in the final game of the series and the hosts won the toss and decided to bat first. Quinton de Kock gave his team a great start and scored a quick hundred. He made 109 runs, followed by centuries from Faf du Plessis (133) and skipper AB de Villiers as well.
De Villiers smashed a 119 off just 61 balls, with three fours and 11 sixes. South Africa posted their joint-second highest ODI total of 438/4 in 50 overs. It was a huge target to chase, and India couldn’t keep going. They reached only a score of 224 runs, losing all their wickets in 36 overs. India lost that game by 214 runs.
1. Sri Lanka (245 runs) vs India in October 2000
The biggest defeat for the Indian team in the ODI format came on one of the biggest stages. It came in the final of the 2000 Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. This match saw India registered their lowest ODI total. It started with Sri Lanka winning the toss and deciding to bat first. Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya scored his career-best score of 189 runs off 161 balls, with 21 fours and four sixes.
Russel Arnold scored an unbeaten 52 runs. As a result, Sri Lanka scored a challenging total of 299/5 in the first inning. India had some good wins earlier in the tournament, and they needed a good start. But the second inning was a totally disaster for them. Only Robin Singh (11) went past the 10-run mark. They got all out for just 54 runs in 26.3 overs, losing by a huge margin of 245 runs.