Highest partnership for each wicket by Indian batsmen in World Cup history

When it comes to putting up big totals in any form of cricket, big partnerships are the bedrock of such totals and it is true in case of one-day international cricket as well. India has played in all the editions of the World Cup and over the course of the eleven editions of the showpiece tournament, the team's batsmen have put up some huge partnerships among themselves.

India has put up some huge totals in World Cup tournaments for many years and much of it has to do with some scintillating partnerships that their batsmen have put together. So, here is a look at the record for each wicket in World Cups by Indian batsmen.

1 - 174 by Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma against Ireland at Hamilton, 2015

In the group game against Ireland in Hamilton back in the 2015 World Cup, the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma put together an opening stand that went on to eclipse all previous Indian records for the first wicket. Ireland batted first and scored 259. Many may have believed that it was a competitive enough total but the openers ensured that the match turned into a walk in the park for India.

They put on 174 in just 23.2 overs and scored at a brisk pace to close the game pretty quickly. Rohit was the man to be dismissed for 64 (off 66 balls, 3 fours, 3 sixes), while Dhawan went on to score exactly 100 runs (85 balls, 11 fours, 5 sixes).

India eventually finished the chase in the 37th over.

2 - 318 by Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid against Sri Lanka at Taunton, 1999

Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid

Now, this is a partnership that no one who had been privileged enough to watch live is going to forget easily. The way the opening batsman, Sourav Ganguly, and number 3, Rahul Dravid, put the defending champions Sri Lanka to the sword on that day in Taunton in the 1999 World Cup, remains one of the high points for India in the tournament.

The pair came together in the first over and then batted till the 46th over, during the course of which they had put together a staggering 318 runs for the second wicket.

It remains the highest partnership for any wicket for the Indian team in World Cups, which absolutely destroyed the Sri Lankan bowling attack. Dravid got 145 (129 balls, 17 fours, 1 six), while Ganguly slammed an unforgettable 183 (158 balls, 17 fours, 7 sixes). India ended up making 373 and won the match comfortably.

3 - 237* by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar against Kenya at Bristol, 1999

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar

This might have been just another league game against the 'minnows', but for Sachin Tendulkar, this was different, since he had just returned from his father's funeral in Mumbai and proceeded to put together a record partnership with the in-form Rahul Dravid.

However, his personal grief had no effect on his batting as he joined Dravid at the fall of the second wicket and the two put together a superb 237 run unbeaten partnership in 29.1 overs to take India's total to 329 for 2.

Dravid made 104 (109 balls, 10 fours) while Tendulkar made 140 (101 balls, 16 fours, 3 sixes) as the duo batted Kenya out of the game in the first innings itself.

4 - 142 by Vinod Kambli and Navjot Sidhu against Zimbabwe at Kanpur, 1996

Sidhu played a big role in India's success in the 1996 World Cup

In the Group B game against Zimbabwe, India was asked to bat first at Kanpur and they shortly found themselves in trouble at 32 for 3. However, opening batsman Navjot Sidhu was still there and he was joined by the number 5 - Vinod Kambli. The two started the recovery effort and eventually put together the highest fourth-wicket partnership for India in World Cup history.

The partnership had grown to 142 when Sidhu was dismissed for 80 (116 balls, 5 fours) but Kambli went on to score a sublime 106 (110 balls, 11 fours). India scored 247 in their 50 overs and that proved to be enough as the bowlers did the job for them as they won the match by 40 runs.

5 - 196* by MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina against Zimbabwe at Auckland, 2015

The group B game against Zimbabwe in the 2015 edition of the competition was supposed to be a routine win for India, but it got sticky for the then defending champions. Chasing Zimbabwe's 288, they found themselves at 92 for 4 in the 23rd over, but then Suresh Raina and captain MS Dhoni got together to string a partnership that saw India home in the 49th over.

Needless to say, the asking rate was not big enough since the openers had given India a quick start but the Raina-Dhoni pair ensured that there were no more hiccups. Raina made an unbeaten 110 (104 balls, 9 fours, 4 sixes) and Dhoni made 85 (76 balls, 8 fours 2 sixes), as India won the game comfortably in the end.

6 - 74* by Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh against Australia at Ahmedabad, 2011

Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh

This was a partnership that proved to be one of the most crucial stands for India in their triumphant campaign in the 2011 World Cup. Chasing Australia's 261 to win in their first knockout game in the tournament, India seemed to have panicked following the fall of three wickets in a cluster and found themselves at 187 for 5 in the 38th over.

That is when Suresh Raina joined fellow southpaw Yuvraj Singh to string a partnership that ensured that India did not throw it all away against a team that had traditionally been a problem for them in World Cups.

The fall of one wicket could have made Australia favourites but the two left-handers dealt with the bowlers superbly and attacked them at every opportunity to see India home. The 74 run stand for the sixth wicket was worth its weight in gold. Raina made 34 (28 balls, 2 fours, 1 six) and Yuvraj ended with a score of 57 (65 balls, 8 fours).

7 - 58 by Kapil Dev and Madan Lal against Australia at Nottingham, 1983

The 1983 World Cup is perhaps one of the biggest landmarks in the history of Indian cricket. However, the league game against Australia in Nottingham was certainly a forgettable episode for the Indian team. After the Australians had made a mammoth 320 in their 60 overs, India's top order slumped to 66 for 6.

However, the ignominy of being all out for less than 100 was avoided when captain Kapil Dev and Madan Lal managed to string together a partnership. They added 58 for the 7th wicket, which remains a record for India in World Cups. Madan Lal made 27 (39 balls, 2 fours), while Kapil Dev ended up with 40 (27 balls, 2 fours, 1 six). However, that was not enough as India's innings folded for 158 in the 38th over.

8 - 82* by Kapil Dev and Kiran More against New Zealand at Bengaluru, 1987

Being the home team, India was one of the favourites for the 1987 World Cup that was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan. In the group stage game against New Zealand in Bengaluru, they played like defending champions.

Having been put in to bat first, India had slumped to 21 for 3 and then 170 for 7.

However, captain Kapil Dev and wicket-keeper Kiran More came together to forge a partnership that gave them a total that could be defended by the bowlers. Kapil got 72 (58 balls, 4 fours and 1 sixes) and More got 42 (47 balls, 5 fours) to help India get to 252 in their 50 overs.

It remains the highest eighth-wicket partnership for India in World Cups. The bowlers then restricted New Zealand to 236 and emerged winners by 16 runs.

9 - 126* by Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells, 1983

Kapil Dev at Tunbridge Wells

This is a game that will go down in history as the one in which Kapil Dev played one of the greatest innings ever seen in World Cup history. Along with the lower order, he took India out of a dire situation.

Having chosen to bat first, India had somehow managed to lose 5 wickets for 17 runs against Zimbabwe, and although Kapil Dev started an astonishing counterattack, they kept losing wickets. Eventually, it was wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani who gave the skipper the support he sorely needed.

The pair came together at 140 for 8 and batted till the end to put together an unbeaten 126 run ninth wicket partnership. Kirmani only got 24 runs but he hung around for 56 balls to ensure that Kapil could have a go at the bowlers. Kapil Dev ended with 175 not out (136 balls, 16 fours, 6 sixes) to completely overwhelm the Zimbabwe bowlers and stage one of the most incredible recoveries in the World Cup.

India won the game by 31 runs in the end.

10 - 32 by Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel against Bangladesh at Port of Spain, 2007

Zaheer Khan tried to recover the innings for India

The 2007 World Cup remains one of the most disappointing memories among Indian cricket fans and it was encapsulated with the defeat against Bangladesh at Port of Spain. It is no surprise that the batsmen failed to such a degree that tailenders Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel ended up with the record for the highest tenth-wicket partnership in India's World Cup history.

India had collapsed to 149 for 9 in the 46th over when Zaheer Khan and number 11 Munaf Patel came together. The pair tried their best to hang around as long as they could so that India could have something to bowl at.

The resistance ended off the third delivery in the 50th over but as they had added 32 by then. Both the batsmen made 15 and hit two fours apiece. India lost the game by five wickets and were eventually knocked out in the group stages.