hero-image

Sri Lanka vs India: 5 best spells in ODI games

It i
It is not without reason that Muttiah Muralitharan is considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time

Neighbouring nations India and Sri Lanka are known for their batting prowess and whenever both teams have locked horns against each other, runs have come in plenty.

Over the years, both teams have also produced several world-class bowlers who have delivered memorable performances. These bowling stalwarts gave the batsmen a tough time with their skills and on several occasions stole the limelight.

We relive some of the fascinating bowling spells that were produced in an India vs Sri Lanka encounter in ODIs.


#5 Manoj Prabhakar cutting through Sri Lanka's top order in 1994

Enter caption
Enter caption

In 1994, on a dry Hyderabad pitch, Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and invited Sri Lanka to bat first. The visitors knew batting on such track would be a difficult task but they had no idea of Manoj Prabhakar's red-hot form.

The Indian pacer first forced Aruna Gunawardena to edge one to the wicket-keeper and then sent back Hashan Tillakaratne for a duck. Prabhakar exploited the conditions effectively and seamed the new ball in dangerous ways.

Such was the menace of Prabhakar that Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka's premier batsman, lasted for only two deliveries. Roshan Mahanama too perished soon and in no time the visitors were reduced to four down for 31.

The skipper Arjuna Ranatunga tried to arrest the damage by counter-attacking. However, he found little help from the other end and Sri Lanka managed to get only 226 runs in their 50 overs.

After claiming four wickets in his first spell, Prabhakar returned to send back the dangerous Ranatunga when he was playing on 98. The pace bowler finished the game with a five-wicket haul.

In reply, India aced the chase with ease courtesy of fifties from Vinod Kambli and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

You may also like