3 iconic ODI World Cup matches between India and Sri Lanka

A new chapter will be added to one of the oldest rivalries in cricket when Team India will take on Sri Lanka in Match 33 of the ongoing ICC men's ODI World Cup 2023. The much-awaited fixture is scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, November 2.

There is literally no stopping India currently. The Men in Blue have won each of their six matches and are at the top of the pile in the points table. A win against Sri Lanka will confirm their berth in the semi-final stage of the tournament.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be hoping for some inspirational performance after their untimely defeat against Afghanistan. Having only won two of their first six games, Sri Lanka have no realistic prospect of qualifying for the semifinals even though they haven't been officially eliminated from the competition yet.

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Of the 166 ODIs the two teams have played against each other, nine have come in the ODI World Cups. In those eight games, the two teams have won four games apiece, while one match in 1992 ended in a no-result.

Ahead of their 10th clash, let's take a look at the three most iconic ODI World Cup matches between India and Sri Lanka.

#3 1999 ODI World Cup, group stages, Taunton

Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid were involved in a huge partnership. [Getty Images]

India had never beaten Sri Lanka in the history of the tournament when the two teams met in the group stages of the 1999 ODI World Cup in Taunton.

In 1999, the-then defending champions, Sri Lanka elected to field first after winning the toss. Chaminda Vaas cleaned up Sadagoppan Ramesh in the very first over and gave Sri Lanka a fabulous start.

However, what transpired next was something the Lankan lions would have never imagined even in their wildest of the dreams. Opener Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid allied for the second wicket and piled up a huge 318-run partnership.

With 17 fours and 7 sixes, Ganguly battered the Sri Lankan bowling lineup and struck the highest individual score (183 off 158) by an Indian in a World Cup game. Dravid, meanwhile, also racked up 145 runs off 129 balls, which included 17 fours and a solitary six.

On the back of the highest-ever second-wicket partnership between Ganguly and Dravid, India posted a humongous first-innings total of 373/6.

Despite Arvinda de Silva's 56, Sri Lanka's innings never got going. All three of Sanath Jayasuriya (3), Romesh Kaluwitharana (7) and Mahela Jayawardene (4) were dismissed in single digits as Robin Singh took a brilliant 5/31 to bundle out Sri Lanka for 216.

#2 1996 ODI World Cup, 1st Semi-final, Eden Gardens

Sachin Tendulkar stumped out vs Sri Lanka at the 1996 World Cup [Getty Images]

The first semifinal of the 1996 ODI World Cup marks a dark chapter in the history of cricket. While Sri Lanka progressed through to the final, most fans would not have forgotten the debacle that took place 27 years ago at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Facing an unbeaten Sri Lankan team in the semifinal, Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and chose to bowl first. The decision looked like a masterstroke when Sri Lanka's attacking openers, Sanath Jayasuriya (1) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (0), both holed out in the very first over, trying to hit Javagal Srinath to the boundary.

Soon, Sri Lanka were 35 for 3. But a counter-attacking innings by Aravinda De Silva (66 off 47) provided a good platform for middle-order batters like Roshan Mahanama (58), Arjuna Ranatunga (35) and Hassan Tillakaratne (32) to take Sri Lanka's total past 250.

India lost opener Navjot Sidhu (3) early, but a solid 90-run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar provided the team enough hope to chase down the remaining 150 runs with eight wickets in hand.

However, Tendulkar's wicket off the bowling of Sanath Jayasuriya saw the beginning of one of modern cricket's most infamous collapses. In addition of just 22 more runs, India lost seven wickets.

Vinod Kambli (10*) was the only specialist batter who survived this collapse. But before India's No. 10, Anil Kumble, could face a ball, the crowd had caused enough disturbance that match referee Sir Clive Lloyd called off the match and awarded it to Sri Lanka.

India's humiliating collapse enraged the fans in the stadium, and some began hurling bottles on the field. Even the seats were set on fire before Sri Lanka were declared the winner of the match by default on the back of their win over India during the group stage.

#1 2011 ODI World Cup, Final, Wankhede Stadium

India lifting the 2011 ICC World Cup Trophy [Getty Images]

Perhaps the most iconic ODI World Cup clash between India and Sri Lanka took place in the summit clash of the 2011 edition. In front of a jam-packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the two teams stood in each other's way in the quest for ultimate glory.

The capacity crowd was so vociferous that the toss had to be done twice as match referee Jeff Crowe failed to hear the call of Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara. However, in the second attempt, Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat first.

Zaheer Khan handed India a superb start as he bowled three maidens in his first five overs and took the wicket of Upul Tharanga. Tillakaratne Dilshan (38) and Sangakkara (48) steadied the innings somewhat before Mahela Jayawardene dished out a phenomenal batting performance.

The former Lankan skipper proved to be the sole warrior in his side's batting group and struck a magnificent century. With the help of 13 fours, Jayawardene remained unbeaten at 103 (off 88 balls). At the back end, Thisara Perera's 9-ball 22-run cameo aided Sri Lanka in posting up a first-innings total of 274/6.

Chasing 275 in a high-pressure game like a World Cup final was always going to be strenuous. India got off to the worst start possible as Lasith Malinga trapped Virender Sehwag on the very second ball of the innings.

The slingy Lankan pacer then struck gold after he sent back local lad Sachin Tendulkar within the powerplay. There was a pin-drop silence in the stadium after they saw their hero head back to the pavilion, scoring just 18 off 14.

Two Delhi boys, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, then joined forces and steadied the ship for India. The two weathered the storm and prevented Sri Lanka from creeping into the Indian middle order early. The two added 83 runs for the third wicket before Dilshan grabbed a stupendous catch off his own bowling to dismiss Kohli for 35.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni then promoted himself one slot up the order in order to tackle the Sri Lankan spin. The move proved to be the masterstroke, as he remained till the end.

Gambhir, meanwhile, kept the scoreboard ticking with his relentless strokeplay. The left-hander was on the verge of completing his hundred before getting bowled on 97. Having said that, his masterful knock was nothing less than a century itself, which bailed India out of massive trouble.

Dhoni and Gambhir were involved in a 109-run partnership before Yuvraj Singh (21*) joined his skipper in the middle. Both the flamboyant batters took the attack to the Lankans before Dhoni (91*) smashed his iconic six over deep long-on to clinch India's second-ever ODI World Cup title after a long gap of 28 years.