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On This Day In 2009: After posting 414 in 50 overs, India held their nerves to restrict Sri Lanka to 411/8, securing a thrilling 3-run victory.
The Rajkot battle became a major part of ODI cricket history. (Image: ICC/X, formerly Twitter)
On This Day In 2009: It has been 15 years since India and Sri Lanka pushed the limits of ODI cricket in Rajkot. From the 2003 Champions Trophy final to the 2011 World Cup, India have faced Sri Lanka in several epic battles in limited-overs cricket. In a similar face-off, the Asian powerhouses competed in one of the highest-scoring ODI games on December 15, 2009.
It was the opening fixture of Sri Lanka’s Tour of India, where both teams put up stellar batting displays to score more than 400 runs each. Eventually, the Men in Blue edged out their opponents by three runs. Virender Sehwag won the Player of the Match award for his lightning-fast 146-run knock.
The match began with Sri Lanka winning the toss at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground and choosing to bat first.
India was in the attacking mode right from the get-go.
The duo of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar kept batting until the drinks break, forming a partnership of 154.
Sehwag completed his century in a mere 66 balls. He smashed 12 fours and five sixes. Moments later Tendulkar was dismissed by Dilhara Fernando.
The Master Blaster left the crease after adding 69 runs for India in 63 deliveries. He had smashed10boundaries and one six.
Next, MS Dhoni made his way to the pitch and formed another formidable partnership with Virender Sehwag. The unrelenting attack from the Najafgarh’s Nawab halted in the 36th over.
Sri Lanka’s Chanaka Welegedara took the crucial wicket, slowing India’s innings. A couple of overs later, Dhoni fell victim to Dilahara Fernando.
The Indian skipper departed after smashing 72 runs. The top order’s brilliant batting showcase enabled India to finish their innings at 414/7.
Sri Lanka realised the job they had at hand as Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the innings for the visitors. They combined for a massive partnership of 188 runs. The joint effort was brought to an end by the ever-dependable Suresh Raina.
The wicket didn’t impact Sri Lanka’s innings as Dilshan formed another partnership with his skipper Kumar Sangakkara. The chase slowed down after Sangakkara was dismissed in the 37th over.
Later, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilina Kandambu and Thilan Samaraweera were all caught in run-outs. Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welegedara were tasked with delivering the win for India but the Sri Lanka duo fell short by a mere three runs.
The Last-Over Thriller
Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra bowled the final two overs, with Sri Lanka needing 15 runs from 12 balls and five wickets in hand. In the penultimate over, the Sri Lankan batters faltered, leading to two crucial run-outs.
With 11 runs required from the last over, Sri Lanka fell short, and India clinched victory when Tendulkar made a stunning catch to dismiss Angelo Mathews.
The Rajkot battle became a major part of ODI cricket history. The match served was a great example of India and Sri Lanka’s dominance in the late 2000s.
