Revisiting India's performance in finals of ICC ODI tournaments
What's the story
The Indian cricket team has been consistent in ICC ODI tournaments, having won the World Cup and Champions Trophy two times apiece,
While the World Cup is widely hailed as the most prestigious ICC competition, the Champions Trophy is popularly known as the 'mini World Cup.'
Let's take a look at how India fared in the finals of ICC ODI competitions.
#1
The 1983 triumph
In 1983, the Indian cricket team led by Kapil Dev won the prestigious World Cup after upsetting the mighty West Indies in the final at Lord's.
A drastic middle-order collapse meant India went from 59/1 to 183/10.
Kris Srikkanth (38) was the only Indian to score over 30.
In response, West Indies also suffered a collapse and were reduced to 76/6.
They were finally folded for 140 as Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath dismissed three batters each.
#2
Loss New Zealand in 2000 CT final
India met New Zealand in the 2000 Champions Trophy final in Nairobi, Kenya.
Batting first, India posted 264/6, with captain Sourav Ganguly leading from the front with a century (117 off 130 balls).
Sachin Tendulkar also contributed significantly with 69 runs.
However, despite a strong start at 141/0, they could not post a mammoth score.
New Zealand (265/6) chased down the target with just two balls to spare, thanks to Chris Cairns's brilliant unbeaten century (102*).
#3
2002 CT final: India, Sri Lanka share trophy
In the 2002 edition, India played Sri Lanka not in one but two finals due to rain in Colombo.
On the scheduled final day, Sanath Jayasuriya's 74 helped SL post 244/5.
However, rain interrupted the match when India were at 14/0.
On the reserve day, SL could only score 222/7 in their first innings, courtesy of Mahela Jayawardene's 77.
Unfortunately for India, rain again disrupted their chase after just 8.4 overs were bowled, and thus both teams shared the trophy.
#4
Australia's domination in the 2003 WC final
India qualified for the 2003 WC final only to be humiliated by Australia. Ricky Ponting was a menace that day as his 140* powered the Aussies to 359/2 in Johannesburg.
Damien Martyn (88*) supported the Aussie skipper well.
In reply, the Indian team never got going as the Men in Yellow recorded a solid 125-run win.
Though Virender Sehwag scored a fiery 82, his efforts could only reduce the margin of defeat.
#5
India lift the World Cup after 28 years (2011)
The classic 2011 World Cup final at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium must be still fresh in many Indian hearts.
Batting first, Sri Lanka racked up 274/6 on the back of Mahela Jayawardene's unbeaten 103.
India lost both Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar within the first seven overs.
However, Gautam Gambhir (97) and Virat Kohli (35) rescued the a hosts with a defining partnership.
As Ravi Shastri famously said, MS Dhoni (91*) then finished off things in style.
#6
India clinch CT title in 2013
In the rain-affected 2013 Champions Trophy final in Birmingham, India took on England.
Batting first, MS Dhoni's men could only manage 129/7 with Virat Kohli (43) and Ravindra Jadeja (33) offering some resistance.
However, early breakthroughs by Indian bowlers kept them in the game.
Despite a strong Eoin Morgan-Ravi Bopara partnership, Ishant Sharma dismissed both off consecutive balls to swing the match in India's favor.
The Men in Blue eventually won by five runs.
#7
Defeat against Pakistan in 2017 CT
In the 2017 Champions Trophy final, India took on arch-rivals Pakistan at The Oval.
Fakhar Zaman's brilliant century (114) propelled Pakistan to a formidable score of 338/4.
Despite Hardik Pandya's fiery innings (76 off just 43 balls), India fell short by a huge margin as Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali ran through their batting line-up.
This led to a disappointing loss by a massive margin of 180 runs for India.
#8
Another heartbreak vs Australia, 2023
Australia beat home favorites India to clinch a record-extending sixth World Cup in 2023.
India were folded for 240 while batting first in Ahmedabad as Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (66) made fifties.
The Men in Yellow (241/4) successfully chased down the total, with Travis Head slamming a historic 137.
Marnus Labuschagne duly assisted him with a composed 58*. Notably, the duo rescued the Aussies after they were reduced to 47/3.