Five instances where teams scripted a comeback from certain defeat or elimination

There's a saying that Sports tests an individual's character to its hilt- Well, in my view sports doesn't test your character, it rips you apart live in front of a packed crowd plus millions watching at home.

Sports indeed is a reflection of life, the way a sportsman reacts to adversity on the field defines his character of it, and in the process creates a legacy for a lifetime. And Cricket, of course, bores no exception to the aforementioned fact.

There have been several instances in coveted history of this beautiful game of ours, where individuals, as well as the teams, have stood up in face of adversity to embark on a heist barely imaginable by allies and contemporaries.

In this blog, we will have a look at five such instances where teams scripted sensational comebacks from the dead:

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#5 The Australians rise in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999

Australia recovered from a poor start to clinch the World Cup in 1999

Australia's 1999 World Cup triumph is mainly remembered for their twin epic battles against the Proteas, but few would recall their horrendous start to their campaign.

After having lost to Pakistan and New Zealand and barely scratching to a win against Scotland, Australia entered the Super-Six stage with no points.

But they proceeded to steamroll each of their three opponents to set up a semi-final clash against South Africa.

Chasing 214 in the semis, the Proteas looked on course at 0-48, before the mercurial Shane Warne's 4-29 broke the game wide open and it took a moment of madness by Lance Klusener and Alan Donald in the last over after the latter stroked two fours to level the scores.

Klusener stroked the ball past Damien Fleming when a massive miscommunication ensued with both batsmen stranded at one end. Austalia escaped with a tie, to set-up a finale with Pakistan.

Buoyed by a pulsating clash in the semi-finals, the Aussies proceeded to steamroll Pakistan in the finals by eight wickets to kickstart their streak of World Cup wins, a stranglehold that lasted with the 2007 World Cup win.

#4 Afghanistan's revival to qualify for the 2019 World Cup

Afghans came from the brink of elimination to qualify for next year's World Cup

Coming into the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Afghanistan was a side to beat in the tournament. However, successive defeats at the hands of Scotland, Hong Kong and hosts Zimbabwe meant they were all but out of the contention,

Apart from a string of wins in the second round, Afghanistan needed a series of results to go their way in a bid to qualify for the 2019 showpiece event realistically.

They managed to knock over Windies, UAE and had to hope UAE pulled off an upset against hosts Zimbabwe to set-up a virtual knockout encounter against Ireland.

In a shocking turn of events, UAE managed to thump Zimbabwe in their Super-Sixes match by three runs, which meant the winner of Afghanistan and Ireland game would join the Windies as the tenth team for the 2019 World Cup.

The big boys in Rashid (3-40), Mohammed Shahzad (54) and Gulbadin Naib (45) stepped up against Ireland to knock the Irish out by five wickets.

Afghan's heist was not over yet as they knocked over the Windies in the finals to lay claim to the trophy as well as to the spot in the 2019 World Cup.

#3 Kapil Dev's magnificent 175 not-out

Kapil Dev played a stunning knock to help India progress in the 1983 World Cup

Much has been talked and written about how Kapil Dev's team managed to defy the 66-1 odds that were stacked against them in the 1983 World Cup finals against the mighty West Indies.

But if you dig deep into that World Cup, India wouldn't have been there in the first place had it not for their captain's swashbuckling counter-attack in a league match against Zimbabwe. Tunbridge Wells was a relatively small ground, but it was packed to the core that day when India took on Zimbabwe.

Batting first, Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran bowled like a dream, moving the ball sharply off the seam, and reduced India to 5-17 with the likes of Gavaskar (0), Srikkanth (0), Amarnath (5) and Sandeep Patil (1) all back in the hut.

Dev formed a 60 run partnership with Roger Binny (22), but at 6-77, India still looked on tenterhooks, with Dev having the bowlers for a company.

Dev took full advantage of the short boundary and some insipid captaincy by Duncan Fletcher who took off Rawson and Curran from the attack and instead brought himself to the attack.

This enabled Dev to settle in his innings as he unleashed a breathtaking assault on the Zimbabwean bowlers.

Dev en-route to 175 not out, that included 16 fours and six sixes, Dev formed an unbeaten 126-run-partnership with Kirmani, a record that still exits for the ninth-wicket-partnership. Kapil's 175 ensured India reached a respectable 8-266 in 60 overs to set-up a 31-run win for the Indians, and the rest, as they say, is history.

#2 Pakistan's victorious 1992 World Cup campaign

Imran's cornered tigers script a miracle

Pakistan started their 1992 World Cup with a ten-wicket humbling at the hands of the West Indies despite Ramiz Raza's hundred, and after the rain came to their rescue in the subsequent game against England, that saw them get bundled out for 74, defeats to South Africa and arch-rivals India ensued.

With just a solitary win (against Zimbabwe) in first five matches, Pakistan went into their game against hosts and defending champions Australia on thin ice.

But then the cornered tigers spearheaded by Imran Khan rose like a Pheonix. Successive wins against Australia, Sri Lanka, and a red-hot New Zealand meant Pakistan sneaked through the semi-finals.

On the back of a swashbuckling 91 by skipper Martin Crowe, the Blackcaps posted a commanding.

At 4-140 Pakistan was falling apart, but then came a knockout punch from a young Inzamam-ul-Haq who scored a swashbuckling 60 off just 48 balls to lead his side into the finals against England at the MCG.

At the final hurrah, captain Imran's gritty innings hat helped Pakistan post 6-249, laid the cornerstone for the shenanigans of the Wasim Akram to take over who with his plethora of skills bamboozled the English batsmen, as his double-wicket break broke the back of England's batting to set up a memorable 22 run win for the 'cornered tigers'.

#1 VVS Laxman (281) & Rahul Dravid (180) script a fairytale

A partnership for the ages

At No.1 comes a partnership that is widely recognized as a watershed moment in Indian cricket.

The Aussies coming off a streak of 16-wins on the bounce humbled India under three days in the first Test at Mumbai

After losing inside three days in the first Test in Mumbai, the Men in Blued looked set to lose the second encounter at the Eden Gardens as well when they were asked to follow on by Steve Waugh after having been bowled out for 171 in response to Australia's 445.

Laxman batted at No.6 in the first innings and looked the only batsman comfortable against Warne.

His 50 in the first innings earned him a promotion to the No. 3 spot in the follow-up innings.

India started steadily with openers Das and Ramesh putting up a 50 run stand. However, Australia kept chipping away with wickets and when Sourav Ganguly was out in the closing moments of Day 3 with the score reading 232, Waugh's team knew they were a wicket away from conquering the 'Final-Frontier' (as referred to by Waugh before the series).

However, the wicket never arrived. In a breathtaking and exhilarating display of grit, passion, perseverance and the will to succeed, the duo of Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) pulverized the Aussies into submission as they batted right through the fourth day.

It was batsmanship of Brobdingnagian quality, one that compelled the opposition to admire irrespective of the situation of the game

Laxman went on surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's (236) record of the highest individual score for an Indian batsman and when he was finally out on Day 5 on 281, he, along with Dravid, had put India in a position of strength.

Having set Australia an improbable target of 373 runs to win, the Indian bowlers proceeded to bowl Australia out for 212, scripting one of the most memorable Test wins for India, only the third instance of a team winning after being asked to follow-on.

India then went on to win the succeeding Test at Chennai to script a memorable 2-1 series win against the mighty Aussies.