3 best matches played on reserve days in cricket history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final, which was scheduled to be played on Sunday, May 28, had to be postponed and will now be held on the reserve day on Monday.

Persistent rain in Ahmedabad did not allow a single ball to be bowled in the scheduled match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Even the toss could not take place on Sunday due to the weather conditions. On more than a couple of occasions, the rain stopped, raising the hopes of fans as well as players. But just when the ground staff would begin getting things into shape, the heavens would open again.

Eventually, more than three hours after the scheduled start of play, the umpires decided that the game cannot begin on Sunday and moved the IPL 2023 final to the reverse day - May 29.

On that note, let’s go back in cricket history and look at the three best matches played on reserve days.

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#3 India vs Sri Lanka - ICC Champions Trophy final, 2002

India and Sri Lanka were declared joint winners of the ICC Champions Trophy 2002 after there was no result on reserve day as well. (Pic: Getty Images)

The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy final was played between India and Sri Lanka on September 29 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The Lankans batted first and were restricted to 244/5 on the board as Sanath Jayasuriya (74) and Kumar Sangakkara 54) played impressive knocks.

For India, Harbhajan Singh stood out with figures of 3/27. The Men in Blue were 14/0 after two overs in the chase when rain prevented any further play.

The match was abandoned and a fresh game began on September 30. Sri Lanka again batted first but failed to put up a big score on the board. Mahela Jayawardene top-scored with 77, while Russel Arnold contributed an unbeaten 56.

However, Sri Lanka could only put up 222/7 on the board in their 50 overs as Zaheer Khan impressed with figures of 3/44.

India were 38/1 in response after 8.4 overs when rain again played spoilsport and forced another abandonment. India and Sri Lanka were declared joint winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy.

While the final could not be completed, the quality of cricket on display was top-notch and kept fans hooked.

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#2 India vs England - 1999 World Cup, match 25

India beat England on reserve day during the 1999 World Cup. (Pic: Getty Images)

India took on England in match number 25 of the 1999 ODI World Cup on May 29. The game was played at Edgbaston in Birmingham. England sent India into bat and restricted them to 232/8.

Darren Gough, Alan Mullally, and Mark Ealham claimed two wickets each. For the Men in Blue, Rahul Dravid top-scored with a defiant 53, while Sourav Ganguly contributed 40.

In response, England were 73/3 in 20.3 overs when thunderstorms stopped play and forced the game into reserve day. England had lost Alec Stewart (2), Graeme Hick (0), and Nasser Hussain (33) before play was called off for the day.

On the reserve day, Javagal Srinath struck a massive blow, trapping Graham Thorpe lbw for 36. Ganguly dismissed Neil Fairbrother (29) and Ealham (0), while Anil Kumble trapped Andrew Flintoff (15) and Adam Hollioake (6) lbw.

England were all-out for 169 in 45.2 overs as India registered a famous win by 63 runs on the reserve day of the match.

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#1 India vs New Zealand - 2019 World Cup semi-final

A dejected Virat Kohli walks back after being dismissed in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. (Pic: Getty Images)

One of the most famous matches completed on reserve day was the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester, which ended in heartbreak for the former.

The match began as scheduled on July 9 as the Kiwis won the toss and elected to bat first. A total of 46.1 overs of play was possible on the day before rain interrupted proceedings and the reverse day had to be used.

Ross Taylor was batting on 67 and Tom Latham on 3 when play was halted for the day. India got off to a great start with the ball as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Martin Guptill for 1. However, Kane Williamson (67) and Taylor lifted New Zealand, adding 65 for the third wicket. The Men in Blue, however, did well to keep chipping away at the wickets after breaking the partnership.

On the reserve day of the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final, New Zealand extended their innings to 239/8 as Taylor was run-out for 74, while Latham was dismissed for 10.

India got off to a horror start in the chase as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul all fell for 1. While Rohit and Rahul were caught behind off Matt Henry’s bowling, Kohli was trapped lbw by Trent Boult.

India’s scorecard read a disastrous 5/3 at the start of the fourth over. Ravindra Jadeja (77 off 59) and MS Dhoni (50 off 72) attempted a rescue act, but their valiant efforts weren’t enough as New Zealand bowled out India for 221 to register a famous 18-run triumph.