4 Indian Players who have won all 3 ICC Titles 

ICC competitions are the marquee events of cricket. They light up the cricketing world every time they are conducted, with great zeal and enthusiasm among the players and the sports fanatics. Team strategies are zeroed in on winning the titles more than a year before the events are conducted, with the teams even willing to lose a series or two, in a pursuit to find their winning combination.

The International Cricket Council conducts three marquee events in an interval of every two/four years. These include the ICC World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the ICC T20 World Cup. The earliest of these events is the World Cup, which was first held in 1975, followed by the Champions Trophy, which was first organised in 1998 as the Knockout Trophy, with the T20 World Cup being the latest sensation, just more than a decade ago.

While winning even one of these tournaments is a matter of great pomp and pride for the teams, there have been some teams like India, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan that have managed to win all three of these titles. Furthermore, there have been some players who have worked really hard on their games and in the respective campaigns to taste success in all the three events.

Let us have a look at these players:

---

#4 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was one of the main exponents of spin bowling of India for more than a decade. He was a part of the winning squads of the inaugural World T20 in 2007 and the ICC World Cup of 2011 under MS Dhoni while he also featured in the ICC Champions Trophy 2002, a tournament which India shared with Sri Lanka under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.

Bhajji had a good run in the Champions Trophy of 2002, picking up 6 wickets from 5 matches, including figures of 3/27 in the first final that was washed away. He had consistent outings in the tournament and was quite economical.

Five years hence, Harbhajan found himself as one of the senior pros who was travelling to South Africa, as India presented their claim as contenders of the inaugural World T20, in the first leadership assignment of MS Dhoni. He was India's main spinner in the tournament and featured in all the matches. He picked up 7 wickets from 6 matches and was also entrusted with the ball by skipper Dhoni in the epic bowl-out against Pakistan.

Harbhajan also went on to play the World Cup in 2011 which was co-hosted by India. Once again, he played in all the games in the tournament but could pick only 9 wickets from 9 matches, although he managed to keep things tight for the opposition.

Though Harbhajan was not the stand-out performer in these victorious campaigns, he was one of those who brought great balance into the side and constantly maintained the pressure on the opposition's batsmen.

#4 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was the cornerstone of Indian team ever since his debut. He revolutionised opening for the generations to come and was a true gem for Indian cricket. The highest individual score holder for India in Tests also tasted success in all the 3 ICC events, when India lifted the World Cup in Mumbai.

Sehwag was the highest run scorer in the Champions Trophy 2002, which was shared by India and Sri Lanka. He was in sublime touch ever since the beginning, and continued the rich vein of form throughout the tournament, ending up with a tally of 271 runs from 5 matches. Sehwag also played a crucial role with the ball in the semi-final against South Africa, picking up 3 valuable wickets.

Fast forward five years, Viru was one of the few senior players in South Africa to strengthen India's chances all the way in the shortest format. Once again, he lifted his game when it mattered the most. Sehwag gave consistent starts to India all through the tournament, ripping apart the opposition with his aggressive strokes. He was also the first bowler to have a go at the stumps in the bowl out against Pakistan in the group stages. However, he missed the final against the arch-rivals, on account of an injury.

The Nawab of Najafgarh partnered batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar in the 2011 World Cup as he was once again instrumental in giving the team a flying start. He started most of the matches with the boundary of the first ball. His thunderous innings of 175 in the opening game against Bangladesh eventually ended as the highest individual knock of the tournament.

#3 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj hit Broad for 6 sixes in an over

Yuvraj Singh is unarguably one of the biggest match-winners India has ever produced, in the truest sense of the word. A magnificent knock with the bat, a tight spell of slow bowling, or athletic dives on the field, Yuvi could just about do everything on the cricket field. He deservedly claimed victory in the trio of ICC events.

Yuvraj Singh did not get many chances to showcase his talent in the 2002 Champions Trophy. Despite playing all the five games, he got a chance to bat only in two, playing a crucial knock of 62 in the semi-final against the Proteas. He also picked a solitary wicket.

Five years hence, the dashing southpaw was appointed as Dhoni's deputy to lead the Indian contingent in South Africa. It was then that Yuvraj showed the world what he could do at the global stage. He lit up the tournament with his batting exploits, with England and Australia being at the receiving ends. In a must-win encounter against England, Yuvraj smashed Stuart Broad for 6 sixes in an over, and till date remains the only batsman to achieve the feat in T20Is. In the process, he also recorded the fastest T20 fifty- off just 12 balls, which also remains a record. He also hammered the Australian bowlers all around the park in the semi-final, en route a swashbuckling 70 off just 30 balls! Yuvraj scored 168 runs from 6 matches and picked up a wicket, being one of the main reasons that India won the inaugural edition of the World T20.

Yuvraj Singh was in the form of his life in the 2011 WC

Fast forward four years, Yuvraj going through a lean patch, and his position in the World Cup squad was under a scanner. However, the southpaw gained support from Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, with the former going on to say - " You will matter when it matters the most."

Sachin's words turned out to be true as gospel, like Yuvraj, battling with cancer, something which he did not know himself at that point, came into the form of his life, making hefty contributions with the bat and the ball. He won four Man of the Match awards and became the only player to score a fifty and pick 5 wickets in the same World Cup game. He scored 362 runs and picked 9 wickets from 9 games, and was rightly adjudged as the Man of the Tournament.

Yuvraj was an anchor of the Indian team in the two World Cup victories, bringing stability and controlled aggression with his consistent exploits with the bat and the ball.

#1 MS Dhoni

Dhoni is the only captain to win all 3 ICC Trophies

MS Dhoni is one of the most celebrated figures of Indian cricket. He is hailed as the one who transitioned Indian cricket and took it to new levels altogether. In the process, Dhoni also became one of the players to bag victories in all the 3 ICC events. In fact, his achievement gets even special, as he won all 3 tournaments as a captain, is the only player in the history of the game to do so. Each and every victory is associated with a bold, courageous and unorthodox move from his brilliant mind.

Dhoni was handed over the reins of the Indian team after the controversial exit from the 2007 World Cup. His first assignment came in South Africa, as he led the contingent in the inaugural T20 in the absence of most of the senior players. However, Dhoni marshalled his troops to perfection, when it all came down till the final over, which he handed to an inexperienced Joginder Sharma ahead of Harbhajan Singh. As Joginder was on the receiving end, most of the fans thought that the game was over. Last-minute advice from MS resulted in an epic victory by 5 runs. A new champion was born.

Dhoni finished the World Cup chase in great style

Dhoni led the Indian team in the 2011 World Cup, amidst immense pressure of playing at home. Once again, he surprised one and all with his moves, be it the inclusion of Suresh Raina in the quarterfinals, dropping Nehra in the game against Pakistan, or promoting himself ahead of an in-form Yuvraj in the final. However, it was the Midas, or rather, the MS Touch, that India came out on top on all these occasions. Dhoni snatched victory from the jaws of defeat along with Gambhir, hitting 91* off 79 balls in the final. The winning runs were rightly hit by Dhoni, a magnificent six over long on which shall be etched in the memory of every Indian fan till eternity. He scored 241 runs from 9 games.

MSD's third tournament victory came in ICC Champions Trophy 2013, as he led a young Indian side in England, in the absence of all seniors like Sachin(who retired in 2012), Sehwag, Gambhir, Zaheer and Harbhajan. This time around, too, MS continued to astonish the onlookers as he promoted Rohit Sharma as an opener, trusted the death overs to his spinners and even bowled himself to fulfil the absence of a sixth bowler. Once again, in the final, he handed the ball to an expensive Ishant Sharma in a crunch situation, who turned the game in two balls. India eventually won the Champions Trophy by 5 runs.

MS Dhoni bowled to fill the gap of the sixth bowler

Dhoni was the man who instilled the belief and confidence in the Indian team to win on bigger occasions and artistically channelised his resources in the same direction. He was one of the prominent reasons that these 3 ICC trophies ended up in the Indian cabinet.