Indian cricket team has achieved many feats in the past. Be it limited overs or longer format, the cricketers have never failed to impress one and all. They have taken India to the top of world cricket many times and created some historic moments.
Kapil Dev’s 175
The first-ever ODI hundred by an Indian Cricketer which was also special as Indians were tottering at 17/5 against the minnow Zimbabwe and could face a shameful defeat if Kapil Dev could not lead a fightback. And once the innings was stable, he started counter-attacking and finished with a 138-ball 175 with 16 fours and 6 sixes. Eventually, India won the match by 31 runs and this win was vital for their entry to World Cup semi-final.
World Cup Final win 1983
Indians were the complete underdog in the Final at Lords’ against a very strong West Indies who were the world champions in 1975 and 1979. No one gave much chance to the Indians who could only labour their way to 183, a much below per total for West Indies’ famed batting line up. However, Indians bowled out of their skin. Balwinder Sandhu got Gordon Greenidge early with a pitch of the delivery and Kapil Dev took a world-class catch to dismiss the dangerous Viv Richards. Finally, it was the Man-of-the-Match Mohinder Amarnath who got the final wicket to give India a famous win and change the landscape of Indian cricket forever.
World Championship of Cricket 1985
Whatever doubt was there on the pedigree of the Indian team’s ability, their supremacy was completely established when they won the 1985 World Championship of cricket in Australia. It was a memorable India vs Pakistan Final which India won comfortably. For India, their openers Ravi Shastri and Kris Srikkanth were the stars along with young leg spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and wicket-keeper Sadanand Viswanath. Shastri won an Audi car as the player of the series and the visuals of the entire Indian team taking a victory-lap on that car was in the memory of the Indian fans for a long time.
Hero Cup Final 1993
CAB celebrated their silver Jubilee with a five-nation cricket tournament called Hero Cup. India reached the Final after an amazing semi-final against South Africa and faced the West Indies for the final encounter. It was a grand occasion as these were the early days of day-night cricket in India and a floodlight Eden gardens looked like a dream. India batted well to give West Indies a challenging total. The Indian bowlers maintained a tight line, Sachin Tendulkar dismissed the free-flowing Brian Lara. From there on it was a One-man show by Anil Kumble who picked up 6 for 12 to give Indian a cherished victory.
India vs Pakistan at Centurion 2003
India first met Pakistan in 1992 World Cup and since then, the neighbours have met 7 times with India winning all the seven matches. However, still most iconic of those matches was the one played during the 2003 World Cup. It was a charged-up game and Pakistan posted a big total thanks to a century from Saeed Anwar. However, India started its response in a grand style as Tendulkar was playing majestically. He charged the Pakistani speed-star Shoaib Akhtar early and his towering six over the Third-man boundary set the mood perfectly for the Indians. Tendulkar missed a well-deserved century by just two runs, but India won the match comfortably by six wickets.Â
Sachin Tendulkar One Day 200
In early 2000, the run rate in ODI cricket was increased significantly. More and more 300 plus totals became a norm and also there were instances of 300 plus targets being chased comfortably. A continuous debate among cricket fans at that stage was regarding who could be the first-ever double centurion in men’s ODI cricket. On 24th Feb 2010, the world got the answer when the Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar became the first-ever batsman in men’s cricket to score a double century in ODI cricket. The opposition was South Africa and the venue was the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.
World Cup win 2011
With the boom of cricket in India, the cricketers also received almost a god-like status in the country. They remained favourites every time they go to play a World Cup and 2011 was no different. Added to that pressure was the fact that it was happening in India after 15 years and the hype was massive. India had a good start in the tournament and despite few hiccups reached the Final to meet Sri Lanka. In front of a packed Wankhede Stadium, India won the trophy after a wait of 28 years. Gautam Gambhir scored 97 runs but captain MS Dhoni’s match winnings six remained a most iconic image of Indian cricket in the 21st century.
Rohit Sharma’s 264
Rohit Sharma is one of the greatest batsmen in the current generation and has the ability to play some massive innings in limited-overs cricket. His batting style is slightly old-school as he takes some time to settle down but once he is set he can accelerate at a rapid pace as he can play big shots effortlessly. He is the only player to have three ODI double hundred and in November 2014 he played blistering innings of 264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens. It is currently the highest ever score in limited over cricket for both men’s and Women’s and one of the most celebrated knocks in international cricket.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
