Which team has dismissed India for their lowest ODI total at home?
(30 July 2001)

The Sri Lankan team came to India for their short tour in 1986-87 as underdogs. Despite having won the series at home the previous season, it was always on the cards that they would find beating India in India a very different proposition. Not unexpectedly, they lost the three match Test series 2-0 and went down in the five match ODI series by four matches to one.

But during the unhappy tour - which also saw the visitors complain about the pitches and the umpiring - the Sri Lankans experienced one distinct silver lining. And this was in the first ODI at Kanpur on Christmas eve, 1986. Not only did they win by a convincing 117-run margin, they also dismissed India for 78, easily their lowest total at home and their second lowest of all time. Astonishingly, in the first Test that concluded at the same venue two days earlier, 1096 runs were scored for the loss of only 17 wickets. The pitch was watered and used again for the ODI. Put in to bat, Sri Lanka scored 195 for eight in 46 overs with the top score being Asanka Gurusinha's 35. But even this modest total was well beyond India's reach. K Srikkanth (17) and DB Vengsarkar (15) were the only batsmen to get into double digits as India capsized in just 24.1 overs. The main damage was caused by Arjuna Ranatunga's right arm accurate medium pace bowling. The future Sri Lankan captain finished with four for 14 off six overs. Incidentally, the total is the lowest by any side in an ODI in India.

[ Archive ]

For more details on all the above facts check out [ StatsGuru ]