IND vs SL: How have India and Sri Lanka fared against each other in World Cups? Players to watch out for

IND vs SL: India and Sri Lanka lock horns against each other in match number 33 of the World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, November 2.

Notably, the two neighbouring nations featured in the final of 2011 World Cup at the same venue on April 2. The MS Dhoni-led Indian side had scripted history by beating Sri Lanka and ending their 28 year drought to win the trophy for only the second time in their ODI cricket history.

IND vs SL World Cup head-to-head

India and Sri Lanka have clashed against each other nine times in the ODI World Cups. India were at the receiving end in their first-ever World Cup meeting against Sri Lanka way back in 1979. Srinivas Venkataraghavan lost the match by 47 runs in Manchester.

A helicopter was used to dry the pitch in the 1992 World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka. The match was reduced to a 20-over per-side affair but it started to rain again after only two balls into Indian innings.

The match was initially reduced to 20 overs a side due to rain. A helicopter was used to dry the pitch but as play began rain fell again, washing out the game.

The Men in Blue lost both their games in the 1996 World Cup against Sri Lanka. The Mohammad Azharuddin-led side lost the first match in Delhi by six wickets.

In the infamous and dramatic semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, sections of the crowd vented their anger on the state of the match by setting fire to some areas of the stands and throwing fruit and water bottles onto the field after the fall of the eighth wicket. Vinod Kambli left the field crying after the match referee stopped the match and declared Sri Lanka as the default winners.

IND vs SL: India's first win vs Sri Lanka in World Cup

The Indian cricket team won their first-ever World Cup match against Sri Lanka in their fourth attempt. Mohammad Azharuddin's India defeated Sri Lanka by 157 runs in Taunton in the 1999 World Cup. Sourav Ganguly registered his highest ODI score of 183 runs. Rahul Dravid scored 145 runs in the match and Robin Singh picked a five-wicket haul.

A 183-run win was followed at the 2003 World Cup under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. Sachin Tendulkar scored 97 as India finished at 292/6 in 50 overs. Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra picked four wickets each to bundle out Sri Lanka for 109.

India lost by 69 runs to Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup. Chasing 255, India were bundled out for 185. Muthiah Muralidaran picked three wickets in the match.

The historic 2011 World Cup final between the two nations was followed by a World Cup match directly in the 2019 edition. The two teams did not get the opportunity to play against each other in the 2015 World Cup. In the 2019 World Cup, India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hit a hundred each.

IND vs SL Players to watch out for on Thursday

Rohit Sharma: India's leading run-scorer in the ongoing World Cup, Rohit Sharma will be playing a World Cup match for the first time at his home ground. Rohit has scored 398 runs at an average of 66.33.

Virat Kohli: Eyes will be on the start batter who will have the opportunity to equal Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 49th ODI hundred at the home ground of the legendary cricketer. Kohli is currently the seventh-highest run-scorer with 354 runs in six matches at an average of 88.50.

Sadeera Samarawickrama: The 28-year-old Sri Lanka middle-order batter has been mighty impressive in the World Cup 2023. He is Sri Lanka's leading run-scorer and 10th on the overall list. The right-hander has scored 331 runs at an average of 82.75. He has scores of 36, 65*, 91*, 8 and 108 in his last five innings.

Kusal Mendis: The Sri Lanka captain started his campaign with a 42-ball 76 against South Africa, and 77-ball 122 against Pakistan. However, scores of 9, 11, 11 and 39 followed. Still, the wicketkeeper-batter is Sri Lanka's third-highest run-scorer. He has scored 268 runs at an average of 44.67, and has all the potential to set the batting-friendly Wankhede Stadium on fire.