#4 India v Sri Lanka, 2009 Rajkot ODI
Sri Lanka were on the tour of India in 2009. The 2 teams clashed in the first ODI of the series in Rajkot. The venue has been famous for producing high scoring encounters and this one was no different. India batted first and made full use of the batting-friendly conditions. The opening partnership of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar added 153 runs from 117 balls.
Tendulkar scored a half-century and MS Dhoni who batted at No.3 did the same. But the star of the Indian innings proved to be Sehwag who piled on 146 runs from 102 balls that included 17 fours and 6 sixes. India went on to score a huge 414/7 after 50 overs. It was the highest score for the nation in ODIs at that time.
The Sri Lankan chase had a similar pattern to the Indian innings. The openers Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan got off to a solid start. India found the first breakthrough in the 24th over but the opening pair had added 188 runs. Kumar Sangakkara played a gem of a knock and the side was past 300 having lost only one wicket.
With 14 overs to go, Sri Lanka needed less than 100 runs and were well on their way to create history. But Praveen Kumar removed Sangakkara for 90 off 43 balls and Harbhajan Singh sent back Dilshan for 160 off 124 balls. India struck at regular intervals but Sri Lanka kept knocking down the runs. The game went into the last over and Sri Lanka came agonizingly close but fell short by just 3 runs. It was a rare occasion when both teams scored in excess of 400.
Match Summary
India won the toss and opted to bat first
India:Â 414/7 in 50 overs
Virender Sehwag 146 (102), MS Dhoni 72 (53)
Chanaka Welegedera 62/2 (10), Nuwan Kulasekara 65/2 (10)
Sri Lanka:Â 411/8 in 50 overs
Tillakaratne Dilshan 160 (124), Kumar Sangakkara 90 (43)
Harbhajan Singh 58/2 (10), Suresh Raina 37/1 (3)
India won by 3 runs
Player of the Match: Virender Sehwag