If you are a cricket fan, you must have been overjoyed when India lifted the T20 World Cup trophy for the second time in 2023, defeating Australia by six wickets in a nail-biting final. It was a moment of pride and joy for millions of Indians, who celebrated the victory with fireworks, dance and music. But how did India achieve this feat? What were the factors that contributed to their success? And who were the heroes of this historic campaign? In this blog post, we will take you on a walk down the memory lane, and revisit the highlights of India’s T20 World Cup journey.
The Squad
India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2023 was a balanced mix of experience and youth, led by the charismatic Virat Kohli.
The batting line-up featured explosive openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, followed by Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. The bowling department had Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Varun Chakravarthy.
The all-rounders were Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. The bench strength included Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar and Rahul Chahar.
The Group Stage
India began their campaign with a convincing win over South Africa by seven wickets, chasing down 165 with two overs to spare. Rohit Sharma scored a blistering 72 off 47 balls, while Bumrah took three wickets.
The next match was against arch-rivals Pakistan, who had never beaten India in a World Cup match before. However, this time Pakistan broke the jinx and stunned India by 10 wickets, chasing down 152 without losing a single wicket.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan scored unbeaten half-centuries, while Shaheen Afridi took four wickets. India bounced back from this defeat with a thumping win over New Zealand by eight wickets, chasing down 134 with four overs to spare.
Kohli scored an unbeaten 50 off 37 balls, while Ashwin took three wickets. The fourth match was against Afghanistan, who had impressed everyone with their spin bowling. India posted a mammoth 210 for two in 20 overs, thanks to a record-breaking partnership of 140 runs between Kohli and Yadav.
Kohli scored 90 off 55 balls, while Yadav scored 72 off 38 balls. Afghanistan could only manage 144 for eight in reply, losing by 66 runs. Bumrah and Chakravarthy took two wickets each.
The fifth and final match was against Scotland, who had qualified for the Super 12 stage for the first time. India showed no mercy and thrashed Scotland by eight wickets in just 6.3 overs, chasing down 86. Rahul scored an unbeaten 50 off 18 balls, while Shami took three wickets.
The Semi-Final
India finished second in their group behind Pakistan, and faced England in the semi-final.
England had topped their group with five wins out of five matches, and were considered the favourites to win the tournament. But India proved them wrong and beat them by five runs in a thrilling encounter.
England batted first and scored 176 for nine in 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant knock of 81 off 47 balls by Jos Buttler. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers for India with four wickets.
India chased down the target with one ball to spare, thanks to a heroic innings of 77 off 40 balls by Pant. He hit six fours and four sixes, and took India home with a six off Chris Jordan in the final over.
2007 T20 world cup final over HD Full Over MS Dhoni first captaincy match india vs Pakistan bowl out
The Final
India faced Australia in the final, who had beaten West Indies in the other semi-final by seven wickets. Australia batted first and scored 241 for four in 20 overs, thanks to a sensational century by David Warner. He scored 111 off 62 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes.
He was well supported by Glenn Maxwell (45 off 25 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (34 off 18 balls). India had a daunting task ahead of them, but they did not give up hope.
They started their chase with a bang, as Rohit Sharma smashed Mitchell Starc for 24 runs in the first over. He went on to score 76 off 38 balls, hitting six fours and six sixes. He was ably supported by Rahul (41 off 23 balls) and Kohli (43 off 28 balls).
India needed 36 runs off the last two overs, and Pandya took the charge. He hit Pat Cummins for two fours and two sixes in the 19th over, bringing the equation down to 12 runs off six balls.
Starc bowled the final over, and Pandya hit him for a four off the first ball. He then took a single, and gave the strike to Jadeja, who hit a six off the third ball, bringing the scores level.
The next ball was a wide, and India won the match and the tournament by six wickets. Pandya remained unbeaten on 35 off 14 balls, while Jadeja scored 12 off four balls.
It was a historic moment for India, as they became the second team after West Indies to win the T20 World Cup twice.
The Stats
Here are some of the stats and facts from India’s T20 World Cup campaign:
- India won five out of seven matches, losing only to Pakistan and Australia.
- India scored the highest total of the tournament (210 for two against Afghanistan) and also chased down the highest target of the tournament (242 against Australia).
- Kohli was the leading run-scorer for India with 353 runs in seven matches, at an average of 58.83 and a strike rate of 146.67. He also became the first player to score 1000 runs in T20 World Cups.
- Bumrah was the leading wicket-taker for India with 15 wickets in seven matches, at an average of 14.53 and an economy rate of 6.76. He also took the most four-wicket hauls in the tournament (two).
- Pant was named the player of the match in both the semi-final and the final, for his match-winning knocks of 77 and 35 respectively.
- Rohit Sharma scored the fastest fifty of the tournament (off 16 balls) against Scotland.
- Ashwin took his 50th wicket in T20 World Cups, becoming only the second bowler after Shakib Al Hasan to do so.
- India became the first team to chase down a target of more than 200 twice in a single edition of T20 World Cup.
The Verdict
India’s T20 World Cup victory was a result of their collective effort, passion and determination. They showed great character and resilience to overcome tough situations and opponents.
They played with flair and aggression, and entertained the fans with their skills and spirit. They made every Indian proud with their performance, and deservedly lifted the trophy. They proved that they are indeed the champions of T20 cricket.
