Top 10 Greatest Cricket Matches of All Time in India

Cricket is booming in India. The demand for betting on it is huge, and 1Win, together with other Indian bookmakers, keeps up with it, offering hundreds of betting options daily. The country has become a home to thousands of cricket matches, including the ones that have been imprinted in the sport’s history. Learn about the 10 most international matches for India, their dates and venues, key players, summaries, and the legacy they left.

Criteria for Selection

Matches from this list are rated fairly and assessed based on several criteria, starting with historical impact. The game becomes more important if it includes teams that have been rivals for a long time or if a team wins a long-awaited trophy.

The next factor is dramatic moments. It measures the number of points in which players reach their limits and show impressive results. For instance, scoring 6 to turn the match around is definitely dramatic.

Lastly, there's global recognition. If hundreds of thousands of people spectated the match and it regularly appeared in the news, we would consider it recognizable and more important.

Top 10 Greatest Cricket Matches

With assessment criteria in mind, it’s time to start. Let’s look at the 10 Indian cricket matches considered the most impactful.

India vs. Sri Lanka

The first match, and likely the best cricket game, is a legendary encounter between India and Sri Lanka. It took place in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 2011, during the finals of the World Cup.

MS Dhoni was the most productive player of the match. This India legend scored 91 points, which was available due to his swift and smart plays. However, Dhoni wasn’t the best scorer on the team. It was Gautam Gambhir, a left-hand batsman from Delhi, who scored 97 points.

What about Sri Lanka? Its players’ scores were more volatile: Mahela Jayawardene (right-hand batter) hit 103, while his closest follow-up was Kumar Sangakkara with only 48 pts.

The match ended with a 274/6 - 277/4 score, with India leading. It was India's second World Cup win, making it the third team in history to win a title more than once (the other teams are Australia and the West Indies).

This match has left a huge legacy, mainly because it was the first time that two Asian teams faced each other in an ODI World Cup final, and India won.

India vs. Australia

In March 2001, a truly unique match between India and Australia took place in Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Due to the top performance of both teams, the competition lasted five days.

During hours of playtime, VVS Laxman (top-order attack batter from India) scored 281 runs, becoming the MVP of this match. Rahul Dravid (the same role player) was a top-2 player, scoring 180 runs in India’s second innings.

Five days after the competition started, India won the match by 171 runs. It was forced to follow up. Thus, it created a unique playing scenario, which happened for the third time since Test cricket began in 1877.

The Australian team, rated as the best in the world, has won 16 Tests in a row. India cut this streak, making it possibly the best cricket match in India.

Australia vs. England

Once again, Eden Gardens in Kolkata is hosting a competition. This time, it featured a rivalry between Australia and England, which was framed in the 1987 World Cup final (also known as the Reliance Cricket World Cup Final).

The match was heated as both teams were fighting for their first WC trophy. Among all the competitors, Bill Athey (top-order batter from England) was the best player with over 58 scores. The following best bettors were Mike Veletta (45 pts) and Allan Lamb (45 pts).

The match ended in the course of a day. Australia won by 7 runs, claiming its first World Cup title.

The 1987 World Cup was the first World Cup to be hosted outside of England. It was also the first WC to feature a 50-over-per-side format and the first to be conducted out of the Lord’s venue. The combination of these novelties and the anticipation of a heated match attracted 70,000 to 90,000 spectators, making it one of the most viewed matches of its decade.

India vs. West Indies

Conducted within a 3rd Test, this match between India and West Indies wasn’t significant in terms of outcome. However, it was a spectacle we rarely see in sports.

The competition took place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Darren Bravo (top-order batter from West Indies) was definitely the best player of the match, scoring 166 pts.

Ravichandran Ashwin was behind him. His precise bat strikes gave his team 103 pts, closing India to victory.

The second inning was pivotal in this match, as the visitors set a target of 243 for the Indians.

As a result, the match culminated in a rare thrilling tie, as India clinched the series 2-0.

India vs. South Africa

In 1993, India and South Africa faced each other in the Hero Cup semi-final, which took place in Kolkata, Eden Gardens. This match is known for its fierce players’ performance.

Skipper Mohammad Azharuddi scored almost half of his team’s runs, which saved India from a losing situation. Pravin Amre was the next-best Indian player. He scored 48 points, which was a massive contribution to his team’s victory.

This match became the most famous Indian victory in limited overs. It defended 195 against a skillful South African team and progressed to the Hero Cup finals.

As a result, India beat West Indies in the finals and raised a trophy. Interestingly, Mohammad Azharuddin, who was the best cricketer in the world at that time, became the MVP of the event and the player to score the most runs, which is a merit of his India vs. South Africa performance.

India vs. England

Now, we are about to examine a match with one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of cricket. The talk is about an India vs England match that occurred in 2002 as part of the ODI competition in the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

The first player to shine in this match was Marcus Trescothic: with an 80-ball 95, he gave his side a solid start against India. Harbhajan Singh dismissed him in time. He achieved that by scoring 5 wickets in the game.

On the other hand, Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly were MVPs. They scored 45 and 60 points, respectively, building a strong foundation for India’s victory.

The entire match was like a swing. India were only 100 runs short of scoring a win with 8 wickets left. When they had 20 overs in the chase, England came back. As a result, a rivalry ended with 325/5 and 326/8 scores, where India won by 2 wickets (with 3 balls remaining). It was a magnificent win by 5 runs.

England vs. South Africa

This match is one of the most recent on this list. It took place in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 2016 and featured a battle between England and South Africa in the World T20 event.

During the first five overs, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock were South African MVPs, scoring 114 pts in the first nine overs of the competition. However, England was firmly directed

to win. With the strengths of Joe Root and Jason Roy, a team brought up the 50 in 3rd over the chase.

This match became memorable due to its 459 runs, which were scored in just 39.4 overs. Just imagine a team post 229 on the board in a T20. But what’s even more rare is watching their opponents chasing such a massive lead down.

India vs. Pakistan

Conducted in 1999, the game between India and Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship has entered history pages due to Shoaib Akhtar's legendary dismisses. They occurred in Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Javagal Srinath's performance restricted Pakistan to 185 in the first innings. However, India’s team couldn’t make this accomplishment work as it only led for 38 runs (despite Sadagoppan Ramesh’s 79 scores).

An actual prodigy of this game was Saeed Anwar. This left-hand batsman from Pakistan scored 60% of his team’s runs (188 pts). However, Ramesh and Laxman soon put on 100+ for the first wicket, which made it seem like India was about to win this match. Sachin and Dravid thought differently. They allowed Pakistan to get away from India in terms of score and win a match by 46 runs, making this competition possibly the best match in cricket history conducted in India.

West Indies vs. England

We’re back in Kolkata again, looking at the match between West Indies and England, conducted in a World T20 tournament. The best players on the English side were Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and David Willey. They dragged England to 155 pts. On the West Indies side, Marlon Samuels was an apparent leader, scoring over 85 runs.

Marlon Samuels took the lead for the West Indies side, scoring 85 points. Carlos Brathwaite and Dwayne Bravo, who scored 34 and 25 points, were the two other impactful players on this team. The West Indies team won this clash. The match's legacy is its unexpected finish and the fact that the entire Indian cricket fandom was on the West Indies side.

India vs. Australia

The final match on this list is once again between India and Australia. This time, the teams met at the 2007 ODI.

One of the most impactful players in this match was Murali Kartik (Indian bowler). He scored peak results in his career by scoring six wickets for just 27 runs, making Australia go from 117 for 2 in the 20th over to be dismissed for 193.

From the Australian side, credit has to be given to Andrew Symonds, the best scorer of his team (107 points). Under his leadership, Adam Gilchrist scored 51, while Ricky Ponting 49.

Australia won the game with a 317/8 score. This game was remembered because the clash was quite close in terms of points, which created a huge suspense of victory. More so, Murali Kartik's performance stood out as he passed the pressure of Harbhajan Singh.

Conclusion

Which of these is the no 1 cricket game in the world, in your opinion? Fans’ thoughts are scattered. However, the stats and overall information presented above will help you decide which is your favorite cricket game conducted in India. But maybe your favorite game hasn’t occurred yet.