5 of the most heartbreaking losses for the Indian Cricket Team

#4 World Cup Semi-Final, 1996

The moment that changed everything!

After putting up a score of 251 on the board, the Sri Lankan team were looking to defend it under Arjuna Ranatunga’s brilliant captaincy. On the other hand, team India’s batting attack was led by its biggest hope – Sachin Tendulkar, who started off his innings in style.

However, India’s hopes were crushed when Tendulkar was stumped at 65 from 88 balls. And what followed his exit was a dramatic slump to 120-8, courtesy Jayasuriya’s brilliance.

The match was played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. And the widespread heartbreak among the fans was evident when they vented out their frustration by throwing stones and bottles on the ground, and burning newspapers.

Owing to the rage among the spectators, the match had to be called off by the umpires and Sri Lanka were announced as winners even before the game ended. India losing a world cup semi-final on its home turf was indeed a hard pill to swallow.