Top 10 defining moments in Indian Cricket

Dreams too have a lifetime; from the early visions, to pursuit, support and commitment, until finally their realization. One inspirational tale of emotional ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks, dawn of young heroes and dusk of old knights, that comprises the history of any nation’s sport. In the same vein, cricket, which undoubtedly enjoys the number one position in popularity amongst India’s sports, has its own tale to tell.

Here’s a compilation of the top 10 defining moments in the timeline of Indian cricket. These form the epochal moments when history was made and time paused to stand as a mute witness to a glorious cause that inspired the birth of a secular democratic religion called ‘Cricket’ for a nation of one billion hearts!

1. World Cup triumph 1983

Embracing of a sport in India has always been based upon its national glory. And therefore, it was a time when Hockey was the national sport, reigning supreme in the wake of the innumerable gold medals it collected at the Olympics for decades. Cricket, although familiar for 5 decades in this country, was hardly acknowledged. It had its share of unique talents but yet lacked its worthy popularity, passed off as a king’s entertaining affair.

But it was this least expected World Cup triumph of ’83 that sparked the dawn of a new sport, to be embraced by the public at large. The fact that the win came at the expense of the then mighty invincible West Indies made it all the more sweet to savour. Obviously, when such international glory screamed for attention, the audiences took notice and how.

2. Match-fixing

After what seemed to be an ideal start, the next decade did nothing much to keep this endearing mood alive. To add to the woes of living with the disappearing old heroes of the game like Kapil and Gavaskar, an inconsistent exhibition of skill didn’t help much to raise the numbers turning up at the stadia. And as a final nail in the coffin, with the emergence of an ugly demon called match-fixing, involving the seemingly good players led by the captain Azharuddin himself, the game sank to an all-time low!

3. Appointing Sourav Ganguly captain

When the darkness of the game’s despicable antics seemed too weary and the last cheering loyal fans of the game hung on with hope, praying desperately, destiny obliged and gave them a Bengal tiger. The timely arrival of this courageous heart and a clear head resonated with success. Pretty soon, he took charge with gusto, unearthed new talents and gave them and addiction of winning fearlessly. He notched up victories in all parts of the globe and brought in the crowds who desired to see entertainment and victory. Not for nothing is he considered one of the best captains we’ve had, if not the best!

4. Eden Gardens, Kolkata ‘01

It was the time when the Aussies reigned invincible akin to the Windies of the 70’s and 80’s. With a team that consisted of some of the game’s greatest gems ever, they went about swatting aside the rest of the cricketing world effortlessly. It was the time when they had notched up 16 consecutive victories in the longest format – the perfect indicator of their combined resilience and lethality!

It had to take someone special to stop this juggernaut and the Indians delivered that unforgettable knock-out punch through a Very Very Special Laxman’s rearguard 281* combined with the wizardry of Harbhajan’s spinning guile. That triumph humbled the Aussies, restored the trust and belief of the Indian cricket fan and most importantly, instilled respect in this evolving super-power of the cricketing world.

5. World Cup ‘03

After a humiliating trouncing by the hosts in the seaming New Zealand tracks, the Indian team looked set to walk into the World Cup next month in South Africa like a bunch of starters in a rowing competition on the Niagara. Pinning hopes on this outfit at the start, although patriotic, seemed anything but foolish. The way the first two matches were played, gave no hint of what was to follow with the crowds getting restless back home.

In that timely hour, the master blaster stood up and gave a promise. A call that literally inspired the fans and motivated the team that returned with a purpose like a pack of hunting lions, scorching the games right up to the final. That the final was a tame affair was a bit of a mild setback, although the Indian fan was by then completely won over. It was an epic journey that unarguably heralded the rich times for the BCCI which soon grew into one of the richest sporting bodies in the globe.

6. India’s tour Down Under ’04

The Indians were next to invincible in their backyard, and were always addressed with the ‘Lions at home,Lambs abroad’ tag. A reputation that was long justified with their inability to secure convincing wins on foreign soil. In this context, this tour down under was a defining moment that silenced all those critics. A convincing win against a team that was at the peak of its prowess at their home, was enough to win over that last Indian fan complaining of foreign blushes. Indeed, the closest to the summit of an elusive Indian dream was reached.

7. T20 world Cup triumph ‘07

With much promise from a team that boasted of mighty warriors, the World Cup ’07 was a disaster. Handed defeat by both our neighbours with a lone win over Bermuda for pride, our team returned home as our spirits sank to a new low.

It needed a miracle of sorts to bring back the sea of Indian fans. Aptly, given the tag of underdogs, starting with new faces, bereft of the seniors, and a captain in his first few steps entering with least expectations, Dhoni returned with the trophy of the inaugural T20 World Cup.

The setbacks of a tearful past were forgotten, a new hero was born in this captain cool, and the fans were back in their gigantic numbers. After all, in a long time, people’s prayers seemed to have been answered with a team consisting of the world’s best batting line-up and some exceptional bowling talents.

8. Indian Premier League

Though reluctant at the beginning, as a rival to the ICL, the BCCI began the IPL and that marked the next defining moment in the game’s history in the country. It opened up opportunities for fresh faces and remarkable talents in the midst of all its glitz, girls and goodwill. For a team that won the first world title in this format, it sure was a worthy investment with multiple returns.

There exists a wide spectrum of opinions in the different sections of the audience, right from appreciation to accusation. But at the end of the day, when this seems like the future format of the game, we will only be the happy reapers of the fortune for rightly investing in the future.

9. World Cup triumph ‘11

The present generations and the kids of the 90’s have had no reason to feel special in the way like the fans of the early 80’s, who boasted of watching the epic ’83 triumph. It sure felt special to savour the ’07 T20 win but the victory in the 50 over format was always considered to be the summit of an Indian cricket enthusiast’s dream.

And destiny took 28 years to present the echo of the memories of that great moment from the past. It was fittingly at home in ’11 that the Indians regained the crown as we became part of a success story. We could boast to our grandchildren of the night we celebrated with moistened eyes. Indeed, this was the defining moment of Indian cricket for the highest peak in the game had been scaled.

10. 0-8 Whitewash on foreign soil

Just when all seemed too well, the curse of time and law of averages came to haunt us. As we sat gloriously on the topmost pedestal of rankings and respect, two foreign tours to England and Australia, where we returned with 0-4 whitewashes, humbled us and shook us to be aware of the reality of the future’s need.

It was a harsh wake-up call that resulted in the loss of the World No. 1 rank in tests, and more agonizingly, farewell to some our gods like Dravid and Laxman. It was that defining moment in history that bore not the emotion of a glorious triumph but the sedate victory of a courageous fan to accept a new dawn.

Fittingly, all along, there was a guiding pole star called Sachin Tendulkar!