3 ways the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph changed Indian cricket

On this day (June 23) in 2013, India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy crown by defeating England in the final. In a rain-marred summit clash, which was reduced to 20 overs per side contest in Birmingham, India prevailed by five runs in a low-scoring thriller.

India were sent into bat after losing the toss and crumbled to 66 for five in the 13th over. However, Virat Kohli (43 off 34) and Ravindra Jadeja (33* off 25) lifted the Men in Blue to a somewhat competitive 129 for seven. In reply, England seemed to be cruising at 102 for four after 17 overs. However, Ishant Sharma dismissed the well-set duo of Eoin Morgan (33) and Ravi Bopara (30) in the 18th over.

In the penultimate over, Jadeja cleaned up Jos Buttler for a duck to bring India right back into the game. It all came down to England needing 15 off the last over. Ravichandran Ashwin conceded only nine as the Men in Blue pulled off an incredible win.

Although Team India have failed to clinch an ICC event since their triumph in 2013, the win was a landmark moment in Indian cricket in more ways than one. On the anniversary of the famous victory, we look back at three ways the win changed Indian cricket.

---

#1 Emergence of Shikhar Dhawan, the ODI champion

Shikhar Dhawan during his hundred against South Africa. Pic: Getty Images

Before the 2013 Champions Trophy, Shikhar Dhawan had played only five ODI matches. Apart from a half-century, his other scores read 0 (on debut), three, four and 11. Before the Champions Trophy, he had smashed a terrific 187 on Test debut against Australia in Mohali in March of the same year.

The Champions Trophy marked the birth of Dhawan, the champion one-day batter. He began the tournament by cracking 114 off 94 as India got the better of South Africa by 26 runs in Cardiff. The left-hander followed it up with an unbeaten 102 off 107 as India chased down 234 against the West Indies at The Oval with more than 10 overs to spare.

The in-form left-hander smashed 48 against Pakistan in a group match and 68 against Sri Lanka in the semi-final as India chased down 182 with ease. He looked good in the final as well before being dismissed for 31 by Bopara.

Dhawan ended the 2013 Champions Trophy as the leading run-getter with 363 runs at an average of 90.75 and a strike rate of 101.39. The southpaw may have lost his place in the Test and T20I squads, but he remains a champion performer in the one-day format.

---

#2 Start of the famous Rohit-Dhawan partnership

Shikhar Dhawan (left) and Rohit Sharma during the 2013 ICC Champions trophy. Pic: Getty Images

The 2013 Champions Trophy also marked the beginning of the Rohit Sharma-Shikhar Dhawan partnership in ODIs, which is going strong till this day. The prolific opening pair were one of the key reasons why India lifted the trophy, constantly getting the team off to brilliant starts.

In the first match against South Africa, India’s opening combination added 127, with Rohit contributing 65 off 81. In the match versus the West Indies, Rohit again played the perfect foil to Dhawan, chipping in with 52 in a stand of 101. The duo were involved in half-century stands against Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well.

Rohit perished cheaply in the 2013 Champions Trophy final, but the Rohit-Dhawan pair were here to stay. They are fourth in the all-time list of most prolific opening pairs in one-day cricket. In 111 innings, they have smashed 4994 at an average of 45.4 with 17 century stands.

Only Sourav Ganguly-Sachin Tendulkar (6609), Adam Gilchrist-Matthew Hayden (5372) and Gordon Greenidge-Desmond Haynes (5150) have scored more runs as an opening pair in ODIs.

---

#3 Ravindra Jadeja's coming of age

Ravindra Jadeja batting in the final against England. Pic: Getty Images

The 2013 Champions Trophy win also marked the coming of age of Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder made his international debut in 2009, making some reasonably good contributions at vital moments for the team. However, during this ICC event in 2013, he lifted his game a notch and has been a different player since.

Jadeja was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, claiming 12 scalps in five matches at an average of 12.83 and a sensational economy rate of 3.75. With the bat, he contributed 80 runs in two innings, remaining not out on both occasions.

In the opening encounter against South Africa, he struck an unbeaten 47 off 29 balls as India posted an impressive total of 331 for seven. Jadeja starred with the ball as well, claiming two for 31 with his left-arm spin. His career-best bowling ODI figures of five for 36 came in the next match as he ran through a hapless West Indies batting line-up.

Jadeja, however, reserved his best for the 2013 Champions Trophy final. His unbeaten 33 rescued India after they had slipped to 66 for five, batting first. The left-arm spinner then dismissed Ian Bell (13) and Buttler (0) at critical moments in the final as India sneaked home by five runs.

These days, Jadeja is one of the first names on the Indian sheet when it comes to picking a playing XI, irrespective of the format.

---