ON THIS DAY IN 2009: The introduction of T20 cricket in the early 2000s certainly helped in changing some aspects of the sport. There was a time when teams used to struggle for a 200-plus score in ODIs. But after the 20-over set-up was put in place, batters had to develop an aggressive mindset that was mandatory to flourish in the shortest format.
The result was evident in the other forms of the game as well. Only two years after winning the inaugural T20 World Cup, India played a high-scoring ODI against Sri Lanka on home soil where both teams were able to breach the 400-run mark. The epic clash was hosted at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot fifteen years ago on this day (December 15).
Following 100 overs of power-packed cricket, India had the last laugh in the thrilling encounter, registering a narrow 3-run victory. After India produced a mammoth 414 runs in the first innings, there were hardly a few who could say that Sri Lanka had a chance in the game. The islanders put up a thunderous show during the chase but fell marginally short of a historic win.
Winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to field first, considering the flat nature of the Rajkot surface. India pulled off a blazing start to their innings, with Virender Sehwag spearheading the attack.
The Indian opener smashed 146 runs, while his partner Sachin Tendulkar scored a composed 69. During his 102-ball innings, Sehwag struck as many as 17 boundaries and 6 maximums.
Indian captain MS Dhoni promoted himself up in the batting order and took over the charge following the wicket of Tendulkar. The wicketkeeper-batter also appeared at his devastating best as he played a quickfire knock of 72 runs, comprised of 7 fours and 2 sixes. The upcoming Indian batters also made some crucial contributions to the scoresheet, helping the team post a 400-plus score on the board.
Coming in to chase with a required run rate of over 8, Sri Lanka tried to accelerate their innings early. Their opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Tilakaratne Dilshan took full advantage of the batting-friendly condition.
They stitched a 188-run partnership before Tharanga returned to the pavilion for 67 runs. Dilshan continued the demolition job and went on to score 160 before Harbhajan Singh castled him with a baffling delivery.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, who arrived at the crease following Tharanga, also showed off his big-hitting prowess. He smashed 90 off just 43 balls, a knock that was laced with 10 boundaries and 5 sixes.
414/7 411/8#OnThisDay in 2009, India and Sri Lanka played out a humdinger in Rajkot with India winning the high-scoring game by three runs!8️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ runs were scored in the game, the second-highest aggregate for an ODI pic.twitter.com/gHtHI6hxJx
— ICC (@ICC) December 15, 2020
However, the middle-order batters surrendered early infront of the hosts. Thilina Kandamby and Angelo Mathews made some considerable effort in the end. But it was not enough to take Sri Lanka across the line.
