For a man considered a misfit in the ODI format in the early years of his career, Rahul Dravids name finds its way into two of the biggest partnerships in ODI cricket, which came within six months of each other in 1999. Arjuna Ranatungas decision to bowl seemed justified when Chaminda Vaas cut the ball back sharply to hit S Rameshs off stump. However, Dravid, aggressively, and Ganguly, elegantly, soon gained complete dominance, with even Muttiah Muralitharan unable to stem the flow of runs. Dravid established himself as the pacemaker, reaching his second successive hundred at almost a run a ball. Ganguly made his own century, from 119 deliveries, and then began to hit over the top, racing to 183 in another 39 balls. The pair left of a slew of records in their wake. Ganguly and Dravids partnership of 318 in 45 overs was the highest in any limited-overs international at the time, surpassing the previous record of 275 set by Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja against Zimbabwe in 1997-98. Ganguly made 183 in 158 balls, which remains the second best in World Cup history, behind Gary Kirstens 188 not out against the United Arab Emirates in 1996. Indias 373 for 6 was their highest score in the World Cup, until they made 413 for 5 against Bermuda in 2007.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 10:58:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015