The World Cup returned to the Indian sub-continent in 1996. After the glitch-ridden flop that opening ceremony at Kolkata's Eden Gardens was, the iconic stadium hosted the ultimately doomed semi-final clash between India and Sri Lanka.
Through the tournament, Sanath Jayasuriya and his opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharana redefined the game by coming out all guns blazing and hitting the bowlers all over the park.
In the semi-final, Indian bowlers did what no team in the tournament could, when Javagal Srinath ripped through the Lankan top order -- getting Kaluwitharna for a golden duck in the very first over of the game.
When the dimunitive Jayasuriya was sent packing in the second over, an entire nation heaved a sigh of relief. Just days earlier, the Matara Marauder had got stuck into the Indian bowling in a group match in Delhi when Lanka clocked 42 runs in their first three overs.
The Lankans were reeling at 35-3 when the reliable Asanka Gurusingha was sent back to the hut by Srinath. However, Aravinda de Silva ensured a timely recovery for Sri Lanka with a swashbuckling 66-run knock.
After Kumble got De Silva with the score of 86, Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillakratne steadied the innings...
...with Arjuna Ranatunga dropping anchor to carry the score to 251-8 in 50 overs.
India, meanwhile, got off to a brisk start after losing Navjyot Singh Sidhu early in the innings. Tendulkar racked up an effortless fify before he was stumped out with the score at 98-1. And then the collapse began.
The pitch suddenly began turning viciously. Skipper Azharuddin departed with the score at 99 and the Indian batting fell like a pack of cards...
Ajay Jadeja, Sanjay Manjrekar, Nayan Monia and Ashish Kapoor were all out done by the Lanka's part-time tweakers -- Jayasuriya playing the destroyer-in-chief with a three-wicket haul.
Within minutes, the scoreboard read 120-8 in 34 overs. Vinod Kambli and Anil Kumble were waging a losing battle, when the disappointed crowd started throwing bottles on the ground and a rioting in the stands.
The fanatic cricket buffs set the chairs of Eden Gardens on fire and hurled projectiles at the Lankan players in protest against India’s collapse.
The crowd ensured that the match did not finish and match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the game to the Lankans 'by default' -- first time ever in cricket.
It was one of India’s most heart-breaking defeats in ODI history with pundits attributing the loss to Indian skipper Azharuddin for inviting Sri Lanka to bat.
Under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka silenced all the pundits who hardly gave them any chance prior to the tournament as it went on to beat the might Australians and lift the trophy for the first time at Lahore's poorly-named Gaddafi Stadium.
The repercussions of that game at the Eden Gardens can be felt till today. That was the last time the iconic stadium, among the best in the world, hosted a major tournament final. Even in the 2011 edition, 15 years on, India did not play a single game in Kolkata.
