India's 5 biggest wins in World Cup history ft. Sri Lanka
The ICC ODI World Cup (WC) is the grandest stage in cricket. Every player dreams of lifting the World Cup trophy at least once in his career. However, it is not everyone's cup of tea because the teams have to perform consistently under pressure to win the championship.
India have been one of the most successful nations at this mega event, having won the championship twice. The Indian team won its first World Cup in 1983, which was followed by a historic triumph on home soil in 2011.
The Men in Blue are the favorites to win the title this year as well, and their confidence will be on the next level after beating Sri Lanka by 302 runs today (November 2). In this listicle, we will look at where India's victory over Sri Lanka in today's match stands in their list of biggest wins by runs at the grand stage.
#5 India beat Sri Lanka by 157 runs, 1999 WC
India have a habit of crushing their neighbors Sri Lanka at the grand stage. Back in 1999, India beat Sri Lanka by 157 runs in Taunton. The match was held on May 26, where Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid slammed a century each to help India score 371/6 in 50 overs. Ganguly top-scored with a 183-run knock, while Dravid scored 145.
Chasing a mammoth target of 372 runs, Sri Lanka were all out for 216 runs in 42. overs. Robin Singh bowled a magnificent spell of 5/31 to help India record a 157-run victory.
#4 India beat Namibia by 181 runs, 2003 WC
India were quite dominant in their journey to the final of the 2003 WC in Africa. They defeated multiple top-quality teams to make it to the summit clash. In the group stage, India faced debutants Namibia and recorded a 181-run victory.
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly tormented the inexperienced Namibian team by recording a century each. Tendulkar won the Man of the Match award for his 151-ball 152 as India scored 311/2 and bowled Namibia out for 130.
#3 India crush Sri Lanka by 183 runs, 2003 WC
Later in the same tournament, India registered a 183-run victory over Sri Lanka. Javagal Srinath was the architect of India's win, bowling a spell of 4/35 in nine overs. Ashish Nehra also returned with figures of 4/35 as India bowled Sri Lanka out for 109 while defending a 293-run target.
Earlier in the game, half-centuries from Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar guided India to 292/6 in 50 overs. Tendulkar missed out on his century by just three runs in that game.
#2 India beat Bermuda by 257 runs, 2007 World Cup
India had a forgettable campaign in the 2007 WC, but they managed to record a big win over debutants Bermuda. Virender Sehwag's century and half-centuries from Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly powered India to 413/5 in 50 overs.
Bermuda struggled to get going with the bat and were skittled out for 156 runs. Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar bagged three wickets each for the Men in Blue.
#1 India destroy Sri Lanka by 302 runs, 2023 World Cup
Today's win was the biggest one for India in their World Cup history. Overall, it was the second-biggest win by a team in WC matches. Australia beat the Netherlands by 309 runs a few days ago in Delhi.
Speaking of today's India vs Sri Lanka match, fifties from Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer guided India to 357/8 in 50 overs. Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami combined forces to take eight wickets as India bowled Sri Lanka out for just 55 runs in the second innings.