1996 World Cup Devastation to the 2003 World Cup Disaster
The title gives it away. Where were you when these two events took place? Much like a cricketer, even cricket fans have a peculiar existence. You are more likely to be disappointed and sad than happy and elated. But that is the beauty of the game. When the very good does happen, it is one of the best experiences you will ever have. But, among all of the small disappointments, there are countable few which hit you like an asteroid and stay with you forever.
These are not the usual match or tournaments losses we feel sad about and then move on. These are the ones that are burnt into the timeline and will always be there. The two in particular for Indian fans would be the 1996 World Cup SF against SL and 2003 World Cup Final vs Australia.
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1996 World Cup Semi Final : India vs Sri Lanka
Anyone of the 80s generation and before, in India, who were grown up enough to watch and understand cricket in the 90s, will never forget the 1996 World Cup Semi Final against Sri Lanka.
Even now talking about it makes us sad, angry and embarrassed.
So don’t read any further if you can not stomach reliving the nightmare. You have been warned!
The 1996 World Cup, sponsored by Wills, was played in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India hosted 17 matches at 17 different venues, while Pakistan hosted 16 matches at 6 venues and Sri Lanka hosted 4 matches at 3 venues.
Due to security concerns, Australia and West Indies refused to go to Sri Lanka to play their league games and Sri Lanka was awarded points for those 2 matches. This practically ensured that Sri Lanka would play the Quarter Finals of 1996 World Cup. Sri Lanka was still an emerging team and other teams mostly expected to steam roll them and move forward.
As for Indian fans, it was un thinkable that India would be defeated by Sri Lanka not once, but twice in the same tournament.
Indian team was a reasonably ok team on paper. South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and West Indies were considered other strong contenders to win 1996 World Cup.
One reason for Indian fans to have any hope to do well in the tournament was because of Sachin Tendulkar. He had arrived on the world stage and took it by storm since he started opening the batting in 1994. It was because of him that even with an average team, fans could hope for something. He kindled that hope which turned into expectations the more he played well.
Surprisingly, Sri Lanka came all guns blazing in the tournament and redefined what batting meant in the first 15 overs of an ODI. Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana simply demolished bowling attacks and lit up the world cup alright. Still not many gave Sri Lanka the chance to actually progress to semis thinking once Australia, West Indies and the likes meet them in the QFs, that will be the end of it. But Sri Lankans had different ideas.
At a time when 50 or 60 runs in the first 15 overs was considered adequate, Sri Lanka scored 117 runs in those overs against India, 123 against Kenya, 121 against England in the quarter-final and 86 against India in the semi-final of 1996 World Cup. Those are amazing numbers even in this T20 era.
India progressed decently towards the knockouts of 1996 World Cup. They dominated Kenya and West Indies before stumbling against Australia and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka chased India’s 271 without much fuss. 271 in those days was a near sure winning score. They made their reputation as the ultimate chasers in ODI.
Sachin Tendulkar was in superlative form and as was the case then, carried India almost single handedly through the tournament with support from Siddhu, Jadega once in a while. Sachin Tendulkar ended up being the highest run getter of the 1996 World Cup.
India then overpowered Zimbabwe to go through to the QFs where one in one of the most charged environment they defeated Pakistan to progress to the Semis.
1996 World Cup Semi Final – As it Happened
India reached the semi final of 1996 World Cup, high in confidence and everyone expected India to brush aside Sri Lanka and reach the finals. Especially, since India had been scarred by them in the group stage as well. Surely India would not lose again against Sri Lanka.
Shockingly, on a newly laid wicket at Eden Gardens, in front of a crowd unofficially estimated at 110,000, India opted to field first contrary to what all the assessments of the pitch suggested. The wicket was expected to crumble a bit later on. India’s rationale was to not let Sri Lanka chase. This turned out to be the single most important factor in determining the result.
India did well to get the openers out cheaply who were Sri Lanka’s trump cards but it seemed that India did not plan much about the rest as the counter attack Sri Lanka launched after that, led by Aravinda de Silva gave India a rather stiff target by posting 251 for the loss of 8 wickets. It was an amazing ebb and flow of events. With India’s start, picking up the openers in one over, Indian fans dared to dream. It was more than a dream start.
The elation could not have been higher when Srinath. Pretty sure, everyone who was old enough to follow the game was not sitting when the two wickets fell. It felt as we ourselves had did something amazing.
And then came Aravinda. His onslaught and take down of Anil Kumble was so clinical and complete that as young Indian fans, there was no way we could have appreciated the masterclass that De Silva unleased. Only much later we could gather the courage to allow us to realize what he did. And he went on to better it in the Finals. The fall from the elation of 1st two wickets to the lows of the onslaught to which we did not have an answer to was brutal and humbling. SL reached a very good score on the back of that.
The Collapse
India began their chase promisingly but after the loss of Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian batting order collapsed. India was 98 for 1 at one stage with Sachin playing on 65 when he got out. Up till that time, the pitch felt like a batting paradise. Such was the level of excellence of the Little Man. The same track, seemed unplayable just the next ball after Sachin’s wicket. As was mostly the case in those days, somewhere fans knew that Indian challenge had collapsed.
But what had unfolded was still a wild imagination. The submission that Indian batting line up was driven to was unparalleled.
Within a blink India collapsed to 120 for 8 when sections of the crowd began to throw fruit and plastic bottles onto the field.
The Death of Sportsmanship & A Billion Dreams
The players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt to quieten the crowd. When the players returned for play, more bottles were thrown onto the field and fires were lit in the stands. Match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the first default ever in a Test or One Day International.
1996 World Cup devastation remains the biggest world cup heartbreak for India. And then the image, none of us can ever forget, a crying Vinod Kambli returning back from the pitch after the match was awarded to Sri Lanka. If you were a kid at that time like most of us, probably you cried too.
This is a scar which we don’t think can heal with time. At such a big stage with probably the best batsman in the world batting in our team, playing at home against a team which was not considered strong, team India got blown away. To this day this invokes pain.
2003 World Cup Final : India vs Australia
2003 World Cup story of India is in many ways a defining moment in India’s cricketing history. It ended in a heartbreak for sure but the seeds it sowed and the glimpses it showed, gave a lot of satisfaction and belief to the fans that yes, India was finally ready to take the cricketing world by the scruff of the neck.
India’s start though was nothing close to remarkable in 2003 World Cup. India laboured its way to a win against the Netherlands in its tournament opener strutting and struggling to reach 204. It was only in the bowling that India managed to dominate to register a win.
The second match was the worst any Indian fan could have imagined. At this point, all the fans in their minds were sure that this world cup was going to be a disaster if not the worst. India bundled out for 125 against Australia who chased the target in less than half the overs with 9 wickets to spare.
The two matches, fans saw a team that simply did not turn up. There was no intensity and no killer instinct to compete.
It was after this that magic started to unfold. We do not have any insider information of what happened behind the dressing room walls but by the time India took the field for their third match against Zimbabwe, it looked like a totally different team. The body language had changed, and so did the attitude. Ganguly’s men looked like a world beating unit in attitude and performances from then on. Ganguly’s men had arrived as a team.
The 2003 World Cup was known to the Indian fans by the team huddle after wicket was taken. It became a dreaded huddle. After every wicket, the whole team joined in a huddle in mid pitch and practically stared down every incoming batter. It was an amazing psychological statement and an even more brilliant sight to see the team together roaring, hungry and unrelenting in pursuit of victory. Singularly the most goose bumps moments as a fan to see the turnaround. It paved the way for aggressive cricket and to give back in equal measure to the opponents. Ganguly’s
India went on to win all their remaining matches on their way to the final of 2003 World Cup, decimating teams like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
It was in 2003 World Cup, where probably the most remembered shot by a batsman would be played when Sachin played the cut off Shoaib Akhtar for a 6. He almost single handedly tore apart the famed bowling lineup of Pakistan consisting of Akram, Akhtar, Waqar, Afridi and Razzak. Talk about a potent bowling line up. India benefitted from different players putting their hand up in different matches at different stages to keep the roller coaster going. From Dravid, Yuvraj against Pakistan to Ashish Nehra’s 6/23 against England, the whole team contributed with Sachin at the forefront being yet again the highest scorer of the tournament.
Australia was unbeaten thus far, while India had lost one game—against Australia in the first stage.
On the eve of the match, which would be his 100th ODI as India’s captain, Ganguly issued a statement saying his team were honoured to play the 2003 World Cup final. He cited India’s victories at the 1983 World Cup and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket as his inspirations. Although acknowledging Australia as the best side in the world, he said they were not “unbeatable”. Australia’s main concern was Tendulkar, 2003 World Cup’s top-scorer, of whom the Indian fans had high expectations
2003 World Cup Final- As it Happened
Australia—led by Ricky Ponting—entered the 2003 World Cup final as firm favourites. After winning the toss, India captain Sourav Ganguly decided to field first before a crowd of nearly 32,000.
However, what unfolded on 23rd March 2003 was brutal viewing for an Indian fan.
The Australian openers scored aggressively from the beginning of the innings as Khan conceded 15 runs in the first over. The bowlers started off little over aggressively. The idea was to counter Australian aggression with aggression but it back fired as Indian bowlers could not keep their emotions in check. They became wayward in line and length and focus more was on showing aggression. India did pull slightly back in the middle overs but towards the end, a Ponting masterclass blew away any hopes of getting the title after 20 years.
The Hertbreak
Chasing 360, Indian hopes sort of ended in the first over itself as Sachin fell to his arch-rival Glenn McGrath in the very first over. None of the other batsman except for Sehwag showed any fight and India folded. The world cup dream still eluded. It would have to wait for another 8 years.
The nation went into a gloom. Lot of fans showed their disappointment by creating ruckus on the streets. The next day there were scenes of rubbles and effigies lying on the streets.
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