<p>The sight of angry Indian fans throwing bottles on Sri Lankan players during the 1996 World Cup semi-final at Kolkata is still fresh in the memory of cricketer lovers here.<br /><br />  <table style="width: 143px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="143" align="right" border="1">  <tbody>  <tr>  <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/mar/arjuna.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr>  <tr>  <td>  <p align="center"><span style="font-size: 8pt">Arjuna Ranatunga</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>They realise the pressure a home team undergoes during such a massive tournament. This Saturday, Sri Lanka will square off against England in the last of the four quarter-finals, and the fans are ready to behave themselves. "People in Sri Lanka are just as passionate about the game, but I expect them to react fairly if the team loses to England. I understand what the Kolkata fans underwent on that day, but everyone should realise that it is just a sport. One team has to win, and another has to lose," Sri Lanka's World Cup winning skipper, Arjuna Ranatunga told MiD DAY. <br /><br />Sri Lanka won that game at Eden Gardens in front of a crowd unofficially estimated at 110,000. Chasing 251 for 8, India had slumped to 120 for 8 in the 35th over when sections of crowd began to throw bottles on the field. <br /><br />The players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt to bring some sanity to the situation. <br /><br />When the players returned, more bottles were thrown, and fires were lit in the stand. Match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the first default ever in a Test or ODI. </p>

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The sight of angry Indian fans throwing bottles on Sri Lankan players during the 1996 World Cup semi-final at Kolkata is still fresh in the memory of cricketer lovers here

Ranatunga doesn't foresee dramas

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Ranatunga doesn't foresee dramas

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