10 best Indian wins in finals

India have won several limited-overs finals in their long and distinguished cricketing history. Some of these wins have come on big stages and against good oppositions. At one point, however, they fell into the bad habit of losing a string of finals. But over the past decade, they have certainly erased those memories by winning many finals on a consistent basis.Here’s a look at 10 of India’s best wins in finals:

#10 2013 Tri-series final

After a poor start to the tournament, India bounced back to beat Sri Lanka and West Indies and thereby booked their place in the final of the Tri-series where they took on Sri Lanka. MS Dhoni returned to captain India in the final after suffering an injury at the start of the tournament and put the Sri Lankans into bat after winning the toss.

The Indian bowlers picked up early wickets to put the Sri Lankans on the back foot straight away. Kumar Sangakkara shared a 122-run stand for the fourth wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne, but once both were dismissed, the Sri Lankan innings fell apart and they were eventually all out for 201 in their 50 overs.

In reply, India got off to a shaky start losing both Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli cheaply. Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik then put on a 50-run stand before the latter was dismissed for 23. Suresh Raina then joined Sharma in the middle and the two put on 62 for the fourth wicket before Sharma was out for 58.

Raina fell soon after for 32, which triggered a collapse as Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin all fell in quick succession, leaving Dhoni to rally the tail with him. Vinay Kumar hung around for a while before getting out, with India still needing 20 to win in 3.4 overs.

Ishant Sharma joined his captain in the middle, and the duo scored at a snail’s pace initially, scoring just 5 runs off the next 16 balls. That meant that India needed 15 to win in the last over. Shaminda Eranga was brought on to bowl the final over. Dhoni smashed the second ball for a six to bring the equation down to 9 off 4 balls. He smashed the next two balls for a four and a six to help India register an incredible one-wicket win.

#9 1985 World Championship of Cricket final

India had played some superb cricket to reach the final of the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia. They were up against arch-rivals Pakstan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first.

They found themselves in early trouble, losing their top four batsmen at the score of 33, with Kapil Dev picking up three out of the four scalps. Javed Miandad and Imran Khan then put on 68 for the fourth wicket to somewhat consolidate the innings before the latter was dismissed for 35. Saleem Malik and Miandad then put on a 30-run stand before both were dismissed, with the scoreboard reading 131, to Laxman Sivaramakrishnan.

The lower-order couldn’t contribute much, and Pakistan finished with a below-par 176 for 8 in their 50 overs.

In reply, the Indian opening pair of Krish Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri got India off a very good start, stitching together a 103-run stand for the first wicket. Srikkanth was the first to go for 67, but Shastri carried on and found able allies in Mohammad Azharuddin and Dilip Vengsarkar who helped the Men In Blue register a famous win over Pakistan. Shastri was awarded the Man-of-the-Series award for his all-round performance.

#8 1998 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup Final

In the best of three finals of the 1998 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup, India had won the first final against arch-rivals Pakistan by 8 wickets, thanks to an all-round effort from Sachin Tendulkar. In the second final, Pakistan bounced back to make it 1-1.

The third final was reduced to a 48-overs-per side affair due to bad light. Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and put Pakistan in to bat. Pakistan lost Shahid Afridi early with the score at 30. Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar then put on 36 before the former was dismissed.

Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed then tore into the Indian bowling attack, smashing them to all corners of the ground. They put on 230 for the third wicket before Anwar was dismissed for a 132-ball 140. Ijaz, however, continued the onslaught, eventually finishing on 117 not out and helping Pakistan amass a huge score of 314 for 5 from 48 overs.

In reply, the Indians got off to a good start with Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar putting on 71 for the first wicket in under 9 overs before Tendulkar was gone for a 26-ball 41. Robin Singh was promoted to No.3, and that move paid off as he and Ganguly scored at a good pace to keep India in the game. The duo then put on 179 for the second wicket before Singh was dismissed for 82.

India had a slight stutter after that, losing Azhar and Ganguly in quick succession. Navjot Singh Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja also followed soon after, which meant it was up to Hrishikesh Kanitkar to help India seal the win. With 3 to win off 2 balls, Kanitkar swept Saqlain Mushtaq for a four to help India register a famous win.

At the time, it was also the world record for the highest successful run chase in an ODI.

Here’s a video of the final few moments of that game.

#7 2013 Champions Trophy Final

After an impressive show in the group stages, India marched their way into the final of the 2013 Champions Trophy against England at Edgbaston. But it almost seemed that the match wouldn’t take place, considering the heavy rain at Birmingham and after a delay of close to five hours, the match finally began as a 24-overs per side affair, before rain arrived once again to reduce it to a T20 contest.

England had opted to bowl first in overcast conditions and broke the successful opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma by removing the latter early. Dhawan followed soon and so did Dinesh Karthik, leaving India precariously placed at 64 for 3 in 11.1 overs.

That became 66 for 5 when Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni followed in quick succession. Ravindra Jadeja joined Virat Kohli and the duo began the rescue act, stitching together a critical 47-run stand for the sixth wicket before Kohli was dismissed for 44. Some lusty hitting from Jadeja in the last over helped India post a mediocre 129 for 7 in their 20 overs.

In reply, England got off to a bad start as they lost Alastair Cook early. Dhoni turned to his spinners as early as the fifth over and it paid dividends. With the pitch turning, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja wrecked England’s middle-order to leave them in trouble at 46 for 4 inside 9 overs.

It looked at that point that India would win convincingly, but Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara counter-attacked very well to help England make a comeback into the game.

With 28 needed off 3 overs, Dhoni turned to Ishant Sharma to get him a breakthrough, and after being hit for a six and giving away 2 wides, the Delhi lad picked up Morgan and Bopara off successive balls to tilt the match back in India’s favour. Jadeja then picked up Buttler, and with England needing 15 off the final over and Broad and Tredwell out in the middle, it really was India’s match to lose. Ashwin was given the job of bowling the last over and he didn’t disappoint, ensuring that the Men in Blue won by 5 runs.

#6 2008 Commonwealth Bank series final

After losing the Test series 2-1, India came into the Commonwealth Bank tri-series looking to prove a point or two. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a young side at his disposal and so the expectations from the fans weren’t very high. But the young lot showed a lot of spunk and played some very good cricket to help India reach the finals of the triangular tournament where Australia awaited them.

Australia won the toss in the first final at Sydney and elected to bat first. That decision seemed to be a wrong one when the Aussies were rocked early by Praveen Kumar’s gentle yet effective swing bowling. With the scoreboard reading 24 for 3, Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds put on 100 runs for the fourth wicket to bring Australia back into the contest.

But Harbhajan Singh first picked up Symonds for 31 and Hayden for 82 soon after to leave them 135 for 5 in 27.3 overs. Michael Hussey, then in partnerships with James Hopes and Brad Hogg, helped Australia reach a total of 239 in their 50 overs. In reply, the Indians got off to a decent start with the opening pair of Robin Uthappa and Sachin Tendulkar putting on 50 for the first wicket before the former was dismissed.

India then suffered a mini collapse, and at 87 for 3, Rohit Sharma joined Tendulkar in the middle. Sharma looked at ease with the Australian bowling right from the word go, and in company of Tendulkar, put on 123 runs for the fourth wicket before getting out for 66. Tendulkar, though, marched his way to his first ODI hundred against Australia in Australia and helped India take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three finals.

Heading to Brisbane for the second final, it was clear to everyone as to who was the more confident unit. Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. Once again, the openers got India off to a good start, putting on 94 for the first wicket. The in-form Gautam Gambhir, however, failed to notch up a big score. But Yuvraj Singh upped the run-rate, scoring a brisk 27-ball 38, and shared a crucial 54-run stand with the Little Master.

Tendulkar was playing yet another gem and looked on course for a second hundred on the trot. But at 91, he mistimed a ball in the air and Ricky Ponting took an easy catch to end his stay in the middle. Courtesy a late cameo from Dhoni, India reached a competitive 258 for 9 in their 50 overs.

The Australians were in early trouble once again as Praveen carried on from where he had left off in Sydney, picking up Adam Gilchrist and Ponting cheaply.

But once again, it was Hayden who stood like a rock at one end, and in the company of Symonds, he got the Aussies back into the contest. But Harbhajan, as he had done in Sydney, picked both of them up in quick succession to reduce Australia to 123 for 5 in 26 overs.

Hussey tried his best to get his side back into the game but got out in the process for 44. James Hopes smashed some lusty blows to keep the match alive. But there was too much for him to do in the end, and when he was pouched by Piyush Chawla at wide mid on for 63, India had secured their first ever tri-nation win in Australia.

#5 1998 Coca-Cola cup Final

Courtesy of Sachin Tendulkar’s fantabulous 143 against Australia, India made their way to the final of the Coca-Cola Cup to once again take on Australia at Sharjah. Opting to bowl first, the Indian bowlers were on the money straightaway, picking up the wickets of Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Tom Moody and Adam Gilchrist to leave Australia at 85 for 4. But Steve Waugh, first in the company of Michael Bevan and then Darren Lehmann, resurrected the Australian innings and helped the Australians reach 272 for 9 in their 50 overs.

Everyone expected Tendulkar to play a similar sort of innings to the one he had done to help India qualify for the final, and the Little Master didn’t disappoint. He hammered the Australian bowlers to all parts of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and got able support from Nayan Mongia and Mohammad Azharuddin.

But with India still needing 25 for a win, Tendulkar was dismissed for a fine 134, and when Azhar followed soon for 58, India still needed 12 off 3 overs. But Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ajay Jadeja avoided any further hiccup and helped India reach the target with 9 balls to spare.

#4 2002 Natwest Trophy Final

After playing some excellent cricket, India made their way to the final of the 2002 Natwest tri-series to take on England at Lord’s. Electing to bat first on a good pitch, Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight got their side off to a decent start before the latter was bowled by Zaheer Khan for 14. Trescothick and captain Nasser Hussain then smashed the Indian bowling to all corners and put on 185 for the second wicket before Trescothick was bowled for 109. Hussain went on to score his first ODI hundred and helped England amass a massive 325 for 5 in their 50 overs.

Coming out to bat, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag showed that they weren’t ready to give up so soon and got India off to a blazing start, adding 106 for the first wicket before Ganguly was dismissed for a 43-ball 60.

The middle-order had played well in the previous matches but failed to score in the final as Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar all fell cheaply. At 146 for 5 with 180 needed in the last 25 overs, it was England’s match to lose. But Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif weren’t ready to throw in the towel yet, and in an exceptional display of fearless yet common sense batting, got India back into the match.

After adding 121 for the sixth wicket, Yuvraj fell to Paul Collingwood for 68 to bring the match on an even keel once again. Kaif, though, continued to keep the scoreboard moving along with Harbhajan Singh for company.

But when Harbhajan fell for 15 and Kumble followed soon after, it seemed India might fail to reach the target. But Zaheer gave Kaif some much-needed support, and with 2 needed off the final over, Zaheer scampered for a single and ran for the second off the overthrow to help India register an unbelievable win.

#3 2011 World Cup Final

India were one of the favorites to win the 2011 World Cup, and right from game one against Bangladesh, they showed it to the other teams that they were here to win. After losing only a solitary game in the group stages, India played some terrific cricket in the knockout stages, defeating Australia and Pakistan to make their way to the final. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, had a comparatively easier route, hammering England by 10 wickets in the quarter-final and beating New Zealand by 5 wickets in the semi-final.

After winning the toss in the final, Kumar Sangakkara opted to bat on a good pitch at the Wankhede Stadium. Zaheer Khan bowled an excellent opening spell and got India an early breakthrough. Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene then put on 62 for the third wicket before Yuvraj Singh sent the former back for 48. Jayawardene, however, was playing a stylish innings and put on 57 for the fourth wicket in the company of Thilan Samaraweera.

Jayawardene got to his hundred in the 48th over, and some lusty blows from Thisara Perera in the end helped the Lankans reach 274 for 6 in their 50 overs.

India needed a good start when they came out to bat but didn‘t get one as Lasith Malinga first removed Virender Sehwag for a duck and then got the big wicket of Sachin Tendulkar for 18. Virat Kohli then joined Gautam Gambhir at the crease, and the two put on a critical 83-run stand for the third wicket before Kohli was caught and bowled brilliantly by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Much to the surprise of everyone watching, MS Dhoni walked in at No.5 to join Gambhir in the middle, and the duo started to take the game away from the Lankans. After putting on 109 for the fourth wicket, the left-hander was bowled by Thisara Perera, three short of what would’ve been a deserving ton.

But Dhoni seemed determined to stay till the end and win it for India, and in the company of Yuvraj Singh, continued to keep the scoreboard ticking. With 5 needed off 12 balls, Dhoni smashed Kulasekara for a six over long-on to script a famous win for India in front of their home fans.

#2 2007 World T20 Final

The three stalwarts - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - had decided to opt out of the inaugural World T20 in 2007. The then 26-year-old Mahendra Singh Dhoni was handed the captaincy and was given a side comprising largely of youngsters.

Very few expected the Indian side to do well in the tournament, considering that they had played just one T20 International prior to the tournament. But after a thrilling win over Pakistan, India reached the next round where they played some spirited cricket to reach the final against a Pakistan side had also played very well to reach this far.

In a packed house at Johannesburg, India won the toss and opted to bat. After a quick start, the Men in Blue lost both Yusuf Pathan and Robi Uthappa quickly with the scoreboard reading 40. Yuvraj Singh joined Gautam Gambhir, who was batting solidly, and the duo put on 63 for the third wicket before the former was dismissed for 14.

Dhoni came in and went back early. So when Gambhir was dismissed for 75, it seemed like India would have to settle for a score of under 150. But Rohit Sharma played a cameo, scoring a 16-ball 30, to help India reach 157 for 5 in their 20 overs.

India needed early wickets and they got just that. RP Singh removed Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal for 1 and 0, respectively, to dent Pakistan early.

Imran Nazir smashed Sreesanth for 2 sixes and 2 fours in an over, but he was run-out for a 14-ball 33. Pakistan‘s middle-order couldn’t do much either and when Shahid Afridi was caught for a duck by Sreesanth, India could sense a win on the cards.

But Misbah-ul-Haq wasn’t ready to give up yet. Along with Sohail Tanvir, he brought the Men in Green right back into the contest. With 13 needed off the last over, Dhoni gave Joginder Sharma the ball. After hitting him for a six off the second ball, Misbah went for the scoop shot off the fourth and was caught by Sreesanth at short fine-leg to hand India a famous win.

#1 1983 World Cup Final

Perhaps India’s finest victory in a final came during the 1983 World Cup in England. No one expected India to progress through to the final, but with some spirited performances in the group stages as well as the knock-out stages, they made their way to Lord’s on June 25 to take on the mighty West Indies in the final. Opting to bowl first, the West Indian quicks put the Indian batting line-up under early pressure, by removing Sunil Gavaskar for 2.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath then added 57 for the second wicket before the former was dismissed for 38. Yashpal Sharma came in next and put on 31 with Amarnath before the latter was gone for 26, bowled by Michael Holding. The rest of the Indian batsmen continued to get starts but couldn’t carry on to get a big score and they were eventually bundled out for 183.

Following a relatively long break, the West Indies were expected to win at a canter. But the Indians made it evident right from the start that they weren’t ready to throw in the towel yet. Balwinder Sandhu got rid of Gordon Greenidge early to peg back the West Indies. But Viv Richards strode out and batted like as if he was having a net, smashing the Indian bowling attack to all corners of the iconic Lord’s.

But on 33, he mistimed a pull of the bowling of Madan Lal and was caught superbly by Kapil Dev running backwards, and that opened the floodgates for the Indians. Clive Lloyd came in and went early, so did the under-rated Larry Gomes. When Jeff Dujon was the 7th man to go with his side still needing 64 runs for a win, India could sense a real upset on the cards.

Malcolm Marshall hung on for a while before becoming Amarnath’s first victim and when Michael Holding was caught right in front off the bowling of Amarnath, it sent the entire Indian contingent at the stadium into raptures and the upset was complete.