Many a times we wonder, how life would be if we’d rewind a few moments, if not to change, then to relive it. Especially in the world of sports, there is always scope for certain dos and dont’s that would’ve changed the scenario. Discussions like these are frequent & everybody’s favourite at chai stalls, bars and cafes.
One such event that changed cricket for the Indian fans in a big way was the ICC World Cup 2003 - A match where India was vying for the prestigious title after 20 long years. It had our “Dream Team” in action, with darlings such as Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar all performing at the peak of their prowess. It was a team for generations.
So WHAT IF things would have concluded in the favor of the Indian side, what if Tendulkar would’ve gone ahead and helped the team as were the expectations, what if India stopped Ponting dead who went ahead to become the Man of the Match with an unbeatable 140 off 121 taking his team total to 359 at the loss of 2?
As Indian fans, we can only hope, we can only imagine, for after all, cricket is one sport we let our imaginations run wild.
Let’s take a look at a few such consequences of a hypothetical win at that point in time.
1. Australia ODI supremacy would not have started
The heydeys of the Australian Cricket team had already caught steam with the 1999 edition of the ICC World cup in their kitty. The consecutive win in 2003 gave the Australian cricketers the dominant position in the format and this confidence that helped them achieve a hat-trick, winning three back-to-back world cups, first time in the history of cricket. Had India won the 2003 winner’s title, the Aussie winning streak would be cut short, and more importantly their 20-year-old jinx would be broken.
2. The Ganguly - Dravid World Cup
Intentionally or otherwise, every cricket fan has dreamt of that beautiful cup being held by the iconic stars of all time, The Prince of Kolkata - Sourav Ganguly and The eternal wall, Rahul “dependable” Dravid. We all know how far they had come together with a shared desire that every cricketer, from a budding star to a veteran, in the world desires. That year could have been the year of success for them, the year of accomplishment post perspiration, the year of pulling your team out of tough times had they not got knocked out scoring 234 for all. Though Sourav went ahead to be addressed as India’s most successful cricket captain by the media then, his individual performance deteriorated and the rest is history.
3. John Wright would continue to be the coach
The New-Zealand left-handed batsman John Wright enjoyed a successful coaching career with India from 2000 to 2005. During this time the team had improved immensely and also reached to the 2003 World Cup finals. The loss of that final match changed fortunes and the team saw losing form in the following months. A win in that tournament would’ve let Wright end his coaching career with the Indian team on a good note and the chapter of Greg Chappell would never have seen the light of the day.
4. Javagal Srinath would have survived a few years more
It is a very bitter memory of the 2003 World Cup final where an old hand and one of India’s finest bowlers decided to call it quits and announced his retirement soon after delivering a poor show in the final match against Australia. The Aussies hammered him all round and outside the park conceding 87 off his 10 overs and going wicketless. This was the primary reason for India's defeat, the other being the batting fiasco which led to the team losing a superstar who till date remains the only Indian fast bowler to have taken more than 300 wickets in One Day Internationals.
5. MS Dhoni would not have got his break soon
Parthiv Patel, the wicket-keeper batsman was in the 2003 World Cup winning squad, and who knows if India had won the tournament, he would have taken the gloves from Rahul Dravid. MS Dhoni, the small town boy would have been forced to wait in the wings.
One person’s loss is another person’s gain. The unfortunate turn of events post the defeat at the 2003 World Cup finale followed by consecutive series losses against Australia and Pakistan in the consequent months led to a debacle for the team and a gruelling issue for the board. The phase next to this saw one of the most ugly face-offs between then newly appointed coach Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly; thereby making way for a new captain for the Indian side – MS Dhoni. Gaining success in the initial matches of captaincy, Dhoni picked up speed and never looked back.
How one wishes that it could turn the clock back to cherish the things of the past, but it all goes in vain. On the plus side, it was none other than India who finally interrupted the Australia and ICC World Cup love story by winning the 2011 edition of the coveted title and we hope to see many more triumphant events from various teams across the world.
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