Top 10 greatest ODI cricket matches of all time

#9. India vs Sri Lanka - 1st ODI at Rajkot (15 Dec 2009)

India won the match by three runs after scoring 414 runs

This is yet another ODI in which Sri Lanka were the visiting team and had to chase. They won the toss and chose to field first and were blown away by the Indian batsmen. The home side scored 414 runs with Virender Sehwag scoring 146 runs off only 102 balls. It was the Men in Blue’s highest ODI total at that time and was surely enough to seal a comfortable victory or was it?

The Lankans came out all guns blazing. A century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and blistering half-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga helped them reach 316 for the loss of only two wickets.

At the end of the 37th over, Sri Lanka needed only 89 runs from 78 balls, they had eight wickets to spare and in the middle were Dilshan and the hard-hitting Sanath Jayasuriya. However, in the next four overs, they scored only 21 runs and lost the wickets of Dilshan, Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene.

Angelo Mathews and Thilina Kandamby batted well in the next seven overs which left them with only 15 to get off 12 balls. However, in the penultimate over bowled by Zaheer Khan, Kandamby and Thilan Samaraweera were run out and only four runs were scored.

In the final over bowled by Ashish Nehra, the Lankans could only score seven runs and Mathews was also dismissed in the fourth ball while trying to go for a biggie.