5 most thrilling matches India have ever played

In recent times, Indian cricket has seen abundant instances of thrilling matches and nail-biting finishes, be it any format of the game. From the times of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to the times of Virat Kohli, the victories, defeats and draws have all been instrumental in shaping Indian cricket to exist in the way it does today.

Were we to compile a list of all the great matches that India has played over the years, the task would be a never-ending one. However, there are always some matches that stay in public memory forever owing to their monumental effect. Let's take a look at 5 of the most thrilling cricketing encounters India has ever been involved in.

5. First-ever series victory on foreign soil (1968)

India claimed their first victory in the longest format of the game on home turf back in 1952 against England. Their first-ever series victory on foreign soil, however, saw New Zealand as the opposition. Captained by legendary Indian skipper, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the team comprised stalwarts of the game like Erapalli Prasanna, Ajit Wadekar and Farookh Engineer.

Team India announced their presence in world cricket with a flourish as they clinched the four-match Test series by a convincing margin of 3-1. This 1967-68 series also marked India's first tour to the land of the Kiwis. Prasanna finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps to his name.

4. Inaugural T20 World Cup final victory (2007)

India defeated Pakistan to win the inaugural T20 World Cup

The 2007 inaugural T20 World Cup has to be one of the memorable tournaments in the history of Indian cricket. Who can forget the excellent captaincy by MS Dhoni, the towering sixes from the bat of Yuvraj Singh and that mind-boggling last over by Joginder Sharma in the finals that helped India win the final against Pakistan by just 5 runs?

Apart from the victories, the tournament was instrumental in revealing the next generation of talented cricketers that the nation would have in the form of Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and the like. It also marked the beginning of the ascent of MS Dhoni as the phenomenal captain that he'd become in the future years.

3. World Cup finals against West Indies (1983)

Kapil Dev with the World Cup winner's trophy

India's first brush with glory came in 1983 when they won the Prudential World Cup for the first time. Competing against a West Indies side that had the greats of the game like Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner, the feat of emerging victorious is incomparable, indeed.

Batting first, the Kapil Dev-led Indian team folded like a pack of cards for a mere total of 183 runs at the Lord's Stadium, London. Just when victory seemed to be far out of reach, the explosive Viv Richards was outfoxed by Madan Lal and from there onward, there was no stopping India. For hundreds of thousands of Indians, the 1983 World Cup, to this very day, marks the pinnacle of Indian cricketing glory.

2. Natwest Finals (2002)

Sourav Ganguly with the Natwest 2002 Trophy

Who can forget the unique spectacle of Sourav Ganguly taking off his shirt on the Lord's visitors balcony and twirling it over his head as a mouth-shutting reply to Andrew Flintoff's wild celebrations at the Wankhede Stadium a few months prior to that? The 2002 Natwest final game was a treat to the Indian fans all over the world and would definitely count as one of the most gripping games to have ever been played by India.

Having lost the toss to England captain Nasser Hussain, India had to field first and were immediately subjected to a brutal onslaught by Marcus Trescothick. Aided by a brilliant century from his bat and some heroics from Hussain and Paul Collingwood, England recorded a whopping total of 325 runs.

After an unceremonious departure of most of the top order, the Indians still needed 180 runs in 26 overs with only 5 wickets in hand. It was then that Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh came out all guns blazing and India eventually won the match with 3 balls to spare.

1. World Cup finals against Sri Lanka (2011)

India won the World Cup in 2011 after 28 long years of wait

Nobody who was in front of their television sets on April 2, 2011 will ever be able to forget the madness and sheer joy that India's second World Cup victory brought to the Indian fans. The fervent prayers during the nail-biting match followed by the night-long festivities on the streets of cities all over India were all one of a kind!

Having won the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bat first and propelled by a heroic century from Mahela Jayawardene's bat, the Lankans set a mammoth target of 275 runs for the MS Dhoni-led side. After Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag fell without making much of an impact, all hopes of Indian fans were almost on the verge of being crushed.

However, it was Gautam Gambhir (97) and MS Dhoni (91) who took the onus upon themselves to steer the ship to safer waters. India eventually won the title by 6 wickets with MS Dhoni hitting a huge sixer to "finish it off in style" as "the party began in the dressing room"!