Fans of Indian Cricket (us included) are still hurting from the massive drubbing that Virat Kohli’s men were served by Pakistan in the finals of the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy. Thankfully, our team has done better than teams like South Africa and England in knockout stages, and our trophy cabinet is definitely something to be proud of.
Today, as part of our #ThrowbackThursday, we will look at some memorable finals where India came out on top.
1983 World Cup
Kapil Dev in a blazer, lifting the cup in Lord’s balcony is certainly a sight for sore eyes. The final victory was special considering their opponent West Indies had won the last two editions of the tournament, and had some big names in their ranks like Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding. To make matters worse, India were bowled out for a paltry 183.
Some great bowling by Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath brought India back into the game, and the reigning champions were bowled out for 140.
2007 T20 World Cup
Who can forget the famous scoop shot that Misbah ul Haq played in the last over off a Joginder Sharma delivery? The Pakistani batsman had nearly won the game for his team, after hitting some great sixes. Fortunately for captain cool MS Dhoni, his team kept his cool and India won the game by 5 runs.
Interestingly, Pakistan and India had faced earlier in the tournament as well. That match was similarly tight, and ended in a tie (India secured victory via a bowl out).
2011 World Cup
A scintillating century from Mahela Jayawardene saw Sri Lanka post an imposing total of 274. India responded meekly with both Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar going back to the pavilion without making much of an impact.
To save the day, Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni hit heroic knocks, with the captain sealing the victory with an infamous six.
2013 Champions Trophy Finals
England were coasting with Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan forming a crucial partnership. Then, Ishant Sharma struck gold and dismissed both set batsmen in consecutive deliveries, to help India successfully defend a modest target of 130.
Natwest Series Finals (2002)
We’re including this only because of the unforgettable memory of Sourav Ganguly removing his T-shirt and waving it in the air. A superb partnership between Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh saw India chase down a massive target of 326, to bag the Natwest Trophy.
Centuries from both Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain were in vain, as no English bowler except Ashley Giles delivered a respectable performance.
