1996 World Cup Semi Final : The Night Cricket Lost at Eden Gardens ( India vs Sri Lanka )
On 13th March 1996, Eden Gardens hosted 100,000 fans for what should have been India's cricket's biggest night. It ended as Indian cricket's most shameful night . India vs Sri Lanka 1st Semi Final , Wills World cup 1996 Sri Lanka won but not how anyone imagined by default after a crowd riot .
The Build up
Indian came in high after beating Pakistan in Bangalore . Sri Lanka had just destroyed England. Their secret weapon? Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana attacking in the first 15 overs . The whole country was watching .
Sri Lanka : From 1/2 to 251/8
Azharuddin won the toss and elected to field on a newly relaid pitch. Javagal Srinath did the dream start Jayasuriya 1 and Kaluwitharana 0 both caught at third man in the first over 1/2 . Then Aravinda de silva happened 66 off 47 balls. One of the most audacious innings under pressure . He and Roshan Mahanama ( 58 retired hurt due to cramps and dehydration ). Caption Arjuna Ranatunga , Hashan Tillakaratne and Vaas took Sri Lanka to fighting 251/ 8 in 50 overs , Javagal Srinath 3/34 was the India's best bowler .
India's Chase : The Famous Collapse
Sachin Tendulkar was unstoppable 65 runs elegant , fluent . India was 98/1 . The final was one step away . Then the turning point . Sanath Jayasuriya bowled left arm spin into the rough Kaluwitharana did a lightning stumping Tendulkar out .
After that Panic
98/1 become 120/8 . India lost 7 wickets for 22 runs . Azharuddin 0, Jadeja 0, Mongia 1, Kapoor 0. Vinod Kambli was left not out on 10 in tears .
Why The Match was Abandoned ?
After the 8th wicket fell , Eden Gardens exploded . Fans threw plastic bottles , fruits and debris . Sections of the stands were set on fire . Match referee Clive Lloyd took the players off . He restart once but bottles were thrown again . Umpires Steve Dunne and Cyril Mitchley agreed it was unsafe . Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka by default the first time in World cup history . The defining image : Vinod Kambli crying while being escorted off the field .
What Happened After :
Sri Lanka went to Gaddafi Stadium , Lahore and beat Australia to win their first ever World cup . For Indian cricket it was a lesson . ICC made crowd control and pitch monitoring stricter after this incident .