Greatest Victory Moments in Indian Cricket History

By siliconindia  |  Friday, 22 January 2021, 08:18:15 PM IST

Greatest Victory Moments in Indian Cricket History

The day 19th of January 2021 will be remembered in the history of cricket as the day when the Indian cricket team proved the entire world that it can score consistent wins abroad. Beating the Australian team by 2-1 at the ‘Gabba’ stadium in Brisbane, where the home team have never lost a game in 32 years, the young and the inexperienced Indian team have proved themselves to be one of the greatest team in the Indian cricket history. Ajinkya Rahane, the standing captain in Kohli’s absence proved to the world that the young Indian cricket team is on the rise.

Giving their reactions on social media the founders and C-Suite leaders showed an outpouring of their love for cricket. Google CEO Sundar Pichai called the win “one of the greatest series wins ever,” in a tweet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday heaped praises on the team for the stellar performance against Australia to stage a comeback and win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series 2-1. “Indian team faced a lot of challenges in the recent tour of Australia. They suffered crushing defeat yet recovered equally fast and won the next match. The players showed determination despite injuries. They took the challenge head-on and looked for fresh solutions instead of getting frustrated by difficult conditions,” said PM Modi. He also added, “There were inexperienced players but their morale was high and they grabbed the opportunity given to them. They overpowered a better team with their talent and temperament”.

Some other renowned personalities who congratulated team India for their victory are Rishad Premji (Wipro), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO), and others. Rishad Premji, Chairman of Wipro, said, “Wow! Take a bow team India. Such an outstanding display of grit, passion, talent, fire and most importantly belief.” He ended his tweet saying he was “gloating with pride.” OYO Rooms Founder Ritesh Agarwal made a point about why a certain attitude is necessary to be a winner.  He said “The ones who are hungry and the ones who defy the odds, rise”. The series victory holds more significance because of the fact that India had been beaten comprehensively in the first Test. To add to it, the visitors suffered the embarrassment of getting bowled out at 36, making it India’s lowest ever total.

But this is not the first win for team India that can be considered to be a great victory, there are several to look back. Let’s have look at some other instances when team India made the whole nation jump with the emotion of victory.

World Cup Final (1983): This is the first world cup win for India. The match was between India and West Indies played at the great Lord’s Cricket Ground on 25th June 1983. India defended the score 183 against West Indies. Indian bowlers sent all the batsmen to their dressing room within 52 Overs by scoring 140 runs. This is the first and greatest victory in Indian Cricket history.

India v England, Natwest final Lord’s (2002): Who doesn’t remember the shirt waving act of Sourav Ganguly from this match? Yes, this is the same match. India had been most consistent side in the whole tournament heading into the final, against England. Opting to bat first, England, thanks to a century from Marcus Trescothick and Nasser Hussain, set a target of 326. Coming out to chase, India needed a good start, and Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag gave them just that. 100 came up inside the first 15 overs and India were well on course in the chase. But quick wickets dented India’s progress, and at 146 for 5 with Sehwag, Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar all gone, even the most hopeful of Indian fans had lost hopes of a win. But young Turks Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif had other ideas, and, in a display of exceptional stroke-play and admirable composure, they helped their side claw back into the game. Yuvraj was dismissed for 69, but Kaif carried on, getting crucial support from Harbhajan along the way. India needed two runs in the final over, and, when Zaheer Khan knocked a full toss to the covers and scampered for a runoff an overthrow, an incredible win was complete. The sight of Sourav Ganguly waving his shirt at the Lord’s balcony is something only a few fans would forget.

India vs Australia at Adelaide (2003): India took on the Kangaroos in the 2nd Test of their tour to Australia played at Adelaide from 12th to 16th December 2003. The two teams came to Adelaide after a stalemate in the first Test at Brisbane. The Aussies put a mammoth 556 runs on the board in their first innings. Ponting was the star of the show with a stroke-filled double ton (242 runs). Kumble was the highest wicket-taker for India, bagging 5 wickets at the cost of 154 runs. In this match, the Dravid-Laxman partnership took India to the doorstep of victory, before the latter was dismissed with India needing another 9 runs for the win. Although India lost Parthiv Patel, Dravid, with his unbeaten knock of 72, ensured that India crossed the line without any further loss of wickets. India won by 4 wickets, and Dravid was undoubtedly the Man of the Match for his superb knocks in both the innings.

T20 World Cup Final (2007): The match was against our lovely rivals Pakistan. We didn’t lose any match with them in the World Cup. India defended the match and won. Dhoni made this possible because of his presence of mind and intelligence, he gave last over to Joginder Sharma to bowl. 13 runs needed in 6 balls and Misbah on strike. He is the best player of Pak but he failed to hit a six and caught in the hands of Sreesanth.

World Cup Final (2011): The final match is between India and Sri Lanka where Lankans scored 274 in the limited-overs edition. Gambhir and Dhoni took the match onto their shoulders and made us win. Gambhir’s 97 runs are the greatest knock ever. Dhoni scored 91 runs in 79 deliveries. He finished off it with a huge six into the crowd. This is the historical and memorable wins of India. And we can’t forget the epic commentary by Ravi Shastri and his words describing the win “Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd. India lifts the world cup after 28 years and the party begins in the dressing room”.

These are the five greatest memorable moments of Indian cricket history. For some, the matches and the moments may differ, but for a majority, these moments bring a great feeling of joy.

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