Riding on Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid’s record stand, India exact sweet revenge against Sri Lanka

Ganguly and Dravid stitched a record 318-run partnership for the second wicket — a feat observed for the first time in ODIs — and propelled India to a massive 373.

The 1996 World Cup in the Indian subcontinent was a story of the rise of underdogs. A lowly Sri Lankan team, which nobody backed, went on to win the title for the first time. Though it was a hard thing to digest for the Indian fans, an even bitter pill to swallow was the fact that they beat India twice in the same competition. The second of the two defeats that came on the home soil was even more depressing, as in front of a hostile Eden Gardens crowd, India surrendered meekly in the semi final. While time heals everything, this particular defeat has not quite gone from the fans’ memory. Also Read: ICC World Cup 1999: Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid take Sri Lanka to cleaners

Around this time, two young players were on the fringes of Team India selection. One was a stylish left-hander, who was titled ‘the God of the off side’ by the other, who himself was no less than a ‘wall’. After that disastrous exit from the World Cup, both these men Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid made it to the Indian team and in no time, rose to become the mainstay of team’s batting. On their maiden tour, which happened to be in testing conditions of England, both played exceptionally well, giving ample signs of a bright future for Indian batting.

Cut to 1999, another World Cup. The venue was England; the same place where the two had announced their arrival in style. India started their campaign on a poor note, losing first two games against South Africa and Zimbabwe respectively. A win against Kenya, who they played next, gave them some momentum but the next game was special and under intense spotlight, as it was against the defending champions Sri Lanka. The game invoked memories of 1996 and the Indian fans badly wanted the team to take revenge of those painful losses.

The game started. Sri Lanka won the toss and asked India to bat; a repetition of what Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin did in the 1996 semi-final. India lost Sadagoppan Ramesh early, but it did not matter much. Here on, the script of the match was written by those two boys, who watched the defeats of 1996 from the sidelines. Ganguly and Dravid stitched a record 318-run partnership for the second wicket — a feat observed for the first time in ODIs — and propelled India to a massive 373. While Ganguly (158-ball 183) was more brutal of the two, Dravid (129-ball 145) too played a knock quite contrary to his reputation.

In all, the two of them collectively hit 34 fours and eight sixes as the hapless Sri Lankan bowlers watched the proceedings dejectedly. While Dravid’s hundred was run-a-ball, Ganguly brought it in 119 balls, after which all hell broke loose. He scored the remaining 83 runs in just 38 balls; better even by T20 standards. In pursuit of 374, the Lankans were never into the game. Their gamble of returning back to the Romesh Kaluwitharana – Sanath Jayasuriya opening pair failed and with it, the match too was all but over. India won comfortably in the end by a healthy margin of 157 runs. The win left a huge dent in Sri Lanka’s morale as well as their campaign for title defence. Eventually, they crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage while India did not go beyond the Super sixes stage. Australia, who won it for the second time beating Pakistan in the final, emerged winners in the end.

(A self-confessed cricket freak, Chinmay Jawalekar is a senior writer with CricLife and CricketCountry. When not writing or following cricket, he loves to read, eat and sleep. He can be followed here @CricfreakTweets)