On This Day: Cricket World Cup thriller at Chinnaswamy Stadium as Strauss outclasses Tendulkar

Amid the T20 World Cup 2026 drama and the tension regarding the possibility of India missing out on the semi-finals, let’s take a look at another thriller that kept us on the edge of our seats till the very end – exactly 15 years back on the same date (27 February) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The high-scoring ODI match witnessed twin centuries – one from the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar (120 runs off 115 balls) and another from Andrew Strauss, a gigantic 158 in 145 balls, helping England play out a thrilling tie against hosts India.

IND vs ENG thriller from 2011 World Cup

This was the only tied match in the 2011 ODI World Cup, which was eventually won by India. It was Tendulkar’s first Cricket World Cup win, but before the knockout drama, India had to experience a scare at Bengaluru.

Sachin was in inspired form throughout the World Cup, scoring 482 runs in nine matches at an average of 54. He scored two hundreds in the tournament and the first one came against England in India’s second group match.

More from First Cricket

Colombo weather forecast, England vs New Zealand: Will Rain play spoilsport at R Premadasa Stadium? What happens to Pakistan if England or New Zealand win their T20 World Cup match

Opening the batting, Tendulkar toyed with the likes of James Anderson, Ajmal Shahzad, Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann, scoring 120 runs in just 155 balls at a strike rate of 104.35.

He was far ahead of the other batters, with the next best contributions being 58 from Yuvraj Singh and 51 from current India coach Gautam Gambhir.

Eventually India were bowled out for 338 with one ball to spare as Bresnan picked up five wickets for 48.

Strauss outclasses Tendulkar

338 runs batting first in those times looked like a winning total from the outset, but Strauss had other ideas. Despite Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott falling to convert the starts, Strauss kept one end safe and the scorecard ticking.

He also put up a 170-run partnership with Ian Bell (69), but the latter’s dismissal by Zaheer Khan brought India back into the game. And the pacer turned the game on its head by removing Strauss for 158 in the 43rd over.

Quick Reads

View All

India-Pakistan match: Deep passion, visa-free travel drives Colombo airfare spike

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

England soon lost a flurry of wickets, including that of Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior, Michael Yardy and Tim Bresnan. A dogged defiance from Swann (15 not out) and Shahzad (6 not out) took the visitors within touching distance. Yet they fell agonisingly close, securing a proud tie as their innings also finished on 338/8.

“It’s the best innings I’ve played,” player of the match Strauss said after England missed out on a deserved win.

The then-India captain MS Dhoni, however, was not complaining: “The way they started, I definitely am happy with a tie,” he said as India shifted focus to other matches, eventually ending the wait for the silverware after 28 long years.