REWIND: Ganguly and Dravid flay Sri Lanka at Taunton

NEW DELHI: India went into the 1999 ICC World Cup as a buoyant, competitive team but early into their campaign the signs weren’t good. Defeat to South Africa at Hove in their tournament opener left them stung, but it was a three-wicket shock loss against Zimbabwe at Leicester that left Mohammad Azharuddin’s team in the lurch.
Kenya were brushed aside thanks to Sachin Tendulkar’s emotional and attacking 140 from 101 balls - he had just returned from India a day before, having cremated his father - in a record stand of 237 in 29 overs with Rahul Dravid, who also hit a hundred, and when India met defending champions Sri Lanka at Taunton on May 26, 1999 the situation was almost a must-win scenario.
Sri Lanka in 1999 were a far cry from the Sri Lanka of 1996. Most glaringly, they seemed unaware of how to adapt to overcast conditions and skiddy surfaces where going over the top inside the first 15 overs wasn’t as easy as in Asia. And it was at Taunton that they most famously fell apart, oddly enough on the most batting-friendly track of the tournament.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers were erratic and Sourav Ganguly and Dravid tore them apart en route to a world record partnership of 318 in 45 overs, at the time the best alliance in ODI history. Ganguly’s 183 in 156 balls, whose last 83 runs came in just 39 balls, was the second best for a World Cup and India’s total of 373/6 the second best in ODIs. Dravid was in sublime form as he reached his second successive century at nearly a run a ball. He finished on 145 from 129 balls, having hit 17 fours and a six.
It was sublime batting, and Sri Lanka were never in with a chance once their openers were out inside five overs. Arjuna Rangatuna’s side was all out for 216 in 42.3 overs, with seamer Robin Singh claiming 5/31.
With this loss, Sri Lanka were eliminated from the tournament. India beat England in a rain-hit game to enter the Super Six stage, where defeats to Australia and New Zealand knocked them out.
Catch the epic partnership in the video below...
Part 1

Part 2