India entered the 1996 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka with the weight of a home crowd behind them and the Eden Gardens was packed, with a place in the World Cup final at stake. What followed became
one of the most unsettling nights in Indian cricket history. Sri Lanka batted first and made 251/8 in 50 overs. Their top order did not have the biggest impact, but Aravinda de Silva and Roshan Mahanama steadied the innings with half-centuries. De Silva made 66 while Mahanama scored 58, giving Sri Lanka a competitive total on a surface that was not particularly easy to bat on.
India’s chase began very well as Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu put together a strong opening partnership, and India reached 98/1. Sachin Tendulkar was 65 from 88 balls and appeared to be guiding India towards another World Cup final. After his wicket everything changed and plenty of drama unfolded
Also Read | Eoin Morgan denies two IPL franchises for Head Coach role; to continue with commentary
Sachin Tendulkar’s Wicket Changed the Game
Sanath Jayasuriya dismissed Tendulkar, and the wicket triggered a collapse that few inside Eden Gardens could have imagined. India went from 98/1 to 120/8 and the middle order could not handle Sri Lanka’s bowling, with Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and the rest of the attack keeping the pressure on. At 120/8 after 34.1 overs, India’s hopes of reaching 252 were effectively gone.
The reaction from the stands became increasingly hostile. Bottles and other objects were thrown onto the field, forcing the players to leave. Play was stopped for around 20 minutes, but the situation did not improve enough for the match to continue safely.
The match referee eventually awarded Sri Lanka the victory by default and it was the first time an international cricket match had been decided in such circumstances. Sri Lanka advanced to the final, while India’s campaign ended in front of their home supporters in a scene that had little resemblance to the celebration everyone inside the stadium had expected.
There was an uncomfortable irony to the result as Sri Lanka were already in a commanding position before the crowd trouble began. Their bowlers had reduced India from 98/1 to 120/8, and only 120 runs remained between Sri Lanka and a place in the final.
India’s collapse, rather than the crowd trouble alone, was therefore central to what happened. Sri Lanka went on to beat Australia in the final in Lahore and win their first World Cup. Aravinda de Silva produced another memorable performance, taking 3/42 before scoring an unbeaten 107 in the chase.
For India, however, the Eden Gardens semi-final remained a painful memory. The team had entered the tournament as one of the favourites on home soil, with Tendulkar finishing as the competition’s leading run-scorer with 523 runs. But their campaign ended in a match that is still remembered less for the cricket than for the extraordinary scenes surrounding its conclusion. It remains one of the strangest endings to a World Cup semi-final.
