Rohit Sharma vs Pakistan (2019): No player has scored more hundreds in a single World Cup campaign than Rohit’s five in 2019. The best of those five came against familiar foes, Pakistan, in Manchester, when the Hitman smashed 140 off just 113 balls. Batting first, India piled the misery on their neighbours, scoring 336, with Rohit piercing gaps with consummate ease en route to hitting 14 fours and three sixes. Even though rain threatened to play spoilsport, the damage was done for Pakistan, who succumbed to an 89-run defeat by the D/L method
Mahendra Singh Dhoni vs Sri Lanka (2011): With the burden of a billion expectations on his broad shoulders, Dhoni promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, with India in a delicate position in their World Cup final chase on home soil. What followed was a masterclass in counter-attacking batting that smothered the Sri Lankan threat and put India on course to be champions, in tandem with a superb 97 from Gautam Gambhir. When Dhoni finished things off with an unforgettable six into the Mumbai sky off Nuwan Kulasekara, it was the exclamation point on a knock that showed the world what a leader is made of
Adam Gilchrist vs Sri Lanka (2007): Bridgetown was hit by rough weather even before a ball was bowled in the 2007 final. But a greater storm was to be unleashed by Gilchrist once the cricket actually got underway. An electrifying 149 off 104, with 13 fours and eight sixes, saw Gilchrist at his unstoppable best, complete with a squash-ball in his left glove! The ruthlessness with which Gilchrist decimated the Sri Lankan attack captured the dominance of his team, whose supremacy had never been in doubt during those few weeks in the Caribbean
Ricky Ponting vs India (2003): When India put Australia into bat under the Johannesburg sun in the 2003 final, perhaps nobody was more pleasantly surprised than the Kangaroos’ skipper. Ponting duly made India pay and how! As part of a third-wicket partnership worth 234 runs with Damien Martyn, Ponting was at his imperious best, finishing with 140 not out, with four fours and eight sixes, at an awesome strike rate of 115.70. Poor Javagal Srinath was taken to the cleaners by Punter as he went for 87 runs without getting a single wicket. India, battered before being beaten, responded to Australia’s target of 360 by getting bundled out for 234
Sachin Tendulkar vs Pakistan (2003): Countless adjectives have been showered on Tendulkar’s upper cut that sent Shoaib Akhtar’s attempted bouncer to the Centurion stands. But what about a picture book punch off the back-foot off Wasim Akram in that same innings! Or an inch-perfect flick that took a good length ball from Akhtar from the off-stump and sent it racing to the mid-wicket fence. With Tendulkar as unshackled as he had ever been on the grandest stage, India comfortably chased down 274 against a formidable Pakistan attack. With his 98 off 75, Tendulkar played the most famous non-century knock in World Cup history, something that will endure far longer in the memory than any of his six World Cup tons
Sourav Ganguly vs Sri Lanka (1999): The tiny town of Taunton is most famous for its castles in the UK. Over in India, it is best known as the place where Ganguly announced himself to the world. With a swashbuckling innings of 183 off only 158 balls, the Prince of Kolkata proved that he was more than just a “touch player” in white-ball cricket, combining his finesse with brute force. With Rahul Dravid scoring a flawless 145 at the other end, it seemed as if Indian cricket’s two emerging greats would bat all through the English summer. Their record-breaking stand finally came to a close at 333 runs, with India winning the match by 157 runs
Aravinda de Silva vs Australia (1996): Having put on 241 on the board in the high-voltage final of the 1996 edition, Australia were favourites heading into the second innings in Lahore. They must have felt they had one hand on the trophy when Sri Lanka’s trailblazing openers, Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, were both back in the hut with the score at 23. But then came the de Silva show, as astute a World Cup knock as any on this list. With his characteristic elegance, the Sri Lankan maestro neutralised the conditions and his opponents, stroking his way to an unbeaten 107, as Sri Lanka reached their cricketing pinnacle with seven wickets and 22 balls to spare
Inzamam-ul-Haq vs New Zealand (1992): When Inzamam strolled into the middle of a World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, as unhurried as ever, Pakistan needed 123 runs to win in a little more than 15 overs. Even though Inzy had the great Javed Miandad for company, the odds were stacked against Pakistan making it to their first-ever World Cup final. What happened next ensured that nobody watching the game forgot who this 22-year-old was. Inzamam faced just 37 balls before being run out (of course!). But during his stay at the crease, he pummelled the Kiwi bowlers left, right and centre, hitting 60 runs without breaking a sweat. Not only did Pakistan go on to clinch victory in that game, they also went a step further by seeing off England to become world champions that year
Kapil Dev vs Zimbabwe (1983): No other inning has been celebrated by so many after being seen by so few. Dev’s 175 not out against Zimbabwe, which was not broadcast at the time, turned him into an icon and Tunbridge Wells into a pilgrimage sight for Indian cricket. By now, we all know the scale of the task facing the Indian captain on the day. India were nine for four, when Dev made his way in, having cut short a warm shower. What, however, will never be known is just how devastating his batting was that day. His 16 fours and six sixes were recreated faithfully by Ranveer Singh in ‘83’, but not even cinema can do complete justice to a knock right out of cricket’s wildest fantasies
Clive Lloyd vs Australia (1975): All these sublime batting efforts on this list and so many more may never have happened had Lloyd, one of the World Cup’s OG heroes, not batted out of his skin against Australia in the competition’s inaugural final. The West Indian talisman’s 102 off 85, decorated with 14 boundaries, not only helped the Windies reach 291 runs, but also took ODIs from the realm of niche cricket to something that deserved mainstream attention. As Australia fell short by 17 runs to hand the West Indies the first men’s World Cup trophy, the sport entered a new era, riding high on the back of Lloyd’s unfettered brilliance
