Historically, the Indian Cricket team has always upped the ante when it has come down to performing in crunch games. The record of the team in ICC tournaments is a testament to this fact.
The team has undergone many changes over the years but have generally done well in all the three formats of the game. The team has tasted success in all formats and has been ranked number 1 in all formats at some point or the other.
However, there are few accomplishments which the team has to make in the coming years. Despite all the feats achieved by the team, these are the few obstacles which the team will look to overhaul in the coming future.
Here, in this list, we take a look at 5 such feats which the Indian team is yet to achieve but has all the potential and chance to realise.
#1 Test Series win in Australia
Australia has always been a tough place to visit, as the conditions and the crowds make things very difficult for any touring party. However, the Indian team has generally fared well down under and have more often than not put up a decent fight.
There have been few memorable victories, like the one in Adelaide in 2003, or the one in Perth in 2008.
India have toured Australia as many as 11 times and have managed to draw the series on only 3 occasions. The team has tasted defeat 8 times, a record which is not very flattering.
The Indian team toured Australia during 1967-68 where they lost the 4-match series 4-0. In 1977, the team went down 3-2 in the 5-match series. Another 4-0 whitewash followed in 1991-92. The sad story continued in 1999-00 when the team lost 3-0. The team managed to draw the 4-match series in 2003 1-1 but then went down fighting 2-1 in the following series in 2007-08.
Another 4-0 whitewash followed in the 2011-12 series, and in the last tour in 2014-15 a much improved Indian team lost 2-0 in the 4-match series.
This is one frontier which has not yet been breached and the young team led by Virat Kohli will be keen to improve on the past performances.
#2 Winning an ODI and Test series in South Africa
Much like in Australia, the Indian team has found it tough to get going in the swinging conditions in South Africa. The extent of the struggle has been such, that not only has the team found it difficult in Test Matches, but also have a win in One Day Series an elusive feat.
India toured South Africa for the first time in 1992, just after the hosts had been brought back into the fold of International cricket after the apartheid regime. However, the visitors went down 1-0 in the 4-match Test series.
The Mohammed Azharuddin-led Indian side then toured the rainbow nation in 1996, but once again lost the 3-match series 2-0. The hosts continued their dominance in 2001-02 when they defeated India 1-0 in the 2-match Test series.
Rahul Dravid-led Indian team started off their 2006 tour with a bang when they beat the Proteas in the first Test match, but then everything went downhill from there, as they lost both the remaining Tests.
In 2010, MS Dhoni-led side managed to draw the 2-match series, but that search for an elusive series win continued when the lost the 2013 series 1-0.
Apart from the struggles in Test cricket, the Indian team has not won a single ODI series in the country. They lost 5-2 in 1992-93, 4-0 in 2006-07, 3-2 in 2010-11 and 2-0 in 2013-14.
A dubious record which needs rectification.
#3 Winning a T-20 series against New Zealand
The disastrous start to the World T20 2016 campaign by India will always be fresh in the memories of the Indian fan. However, this performance which came against New Zealand was not an isolated one.
Over the years, New Zealand have always dominated this format and enjoy a clean sheet when it comes to matches against India.
This bleak record started way back in 2007, during the inaugural World T20 in South Africa, where the team went all the way to clinch the trophy, but then went down to the only team which was New Zealand. This record has not improved ever since, and in the 5 T20 matches which have been played ever since, the Blackcaps have always come on top.
This dubious record can be rectified, and the Indian team will believe that they have the capability to pull one back.
#4 Winning the Champions Trophy thrice
While the above records are clearly out in the open, this particular record can be achieved by the Team which will make them the first in the history of the game.
The Indian team has already won the ICC Champions trophy twice, and when the team lands in England for the 2017 event, they can become the first team in the history to attain this feat.
However, Australia too will be in the reckoning to become the first team to win the mini-World Cup thrice, and thus there will be another story within a story in the tournament.
The ICC Champions Trophy started in 1998. South Africa won the inaugural season, and the New Zealand won the next Tournament in 2000. The next edition was shared between India and Sri Lanka in 2002. Australia won the next 2 editions in 2006 and 2009. India then won the next tournament in 2013.
#5 Winning the World T20 twice
The MS Dhoni-led young Indian side scripted history when they won the inaugural World T20 in 2007.
This was an expected win for the Indian side as they were not one of the favourites going into the tournament, but then put together some scintillating performances right through the series and etched their names forever in history books.
However, the team could not quite repeat this performance in the next 3 editions in 2009, 2010 and 2012. But the team found its groove in 2014 when it reached the finals in Bangladesh, but went down to a dominant Sri Lankan side.
Expectations were at an all-time high in 2016, as the team was playing at home, and the team managed to reach the semi-finals but were blown away by the eventual champions West Indies.
The next edition is expected to hold in 2018 in South Africa and the Indian team will hope that they go all the way this time.
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