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Heaven after hell: How Team India became heroes after '07 World Cup loss

Updated on: 23 March,2017 05:00 PM IST  | 
Rohan Koli | rohan.koli@mid-day.com

Today marks 10 years for India's disappointing exit from 2007 World Cup when Dravid & Co. lost to Sri Lanka in Trinidad. mid-day zeroes in on rejuvenated India’s achievements in international cricket thereafter

Heaven after hell: How Team India became heroes after '07 World Cup loss

India players are jubilant after winning the 2011 World Cup at Wankhede. Pics/AFP, Getty ImagesIndia players are jubilant after winning the 2011 World Cup at Wankhede. Pics/AFP, Getty Images


World Cup 2011 triumph
India erased the bad memories of an early 2007 World Cup exit by becoming the first country to win the coveted trophy on home soil. Dhoni’s six over long-on sealed it for the hosts against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium. Yuvraj Singh, who scored 362 runs and bagged 15 wickets in nine matches, was adjudged the Player of the Tournament. India went on to win seven matches and lost one. Their match vs England ended in a tie.



World T20
Not much was expected from India in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 event in September 2007 — the first ICC event after India’s early exit from the World Cup in March. India’s ‘favourites’ tag went missing as senior pros like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid decided to give the event a miss. But Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young Team India proved critics wrong. They went on to beat arch-rivals Pakistan to win the tournament in Johannesburg by five runs.

Sachin Tendulkar in the Brisbane final against Australia Sachin Tendulkar in the Brisbane final against Australia 

CB series Down Under in 2007-08
Sachin Tendulkar, then 34, inspired India to the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank series, their first title Down Under after 23 years. Dhoni decided to omit senior players like Ganguly and Dravid for the ODI tri-series. India beat hosts Australia in the first two matches of the best-of-three finals. The Master Blaster scored 399 runs in 10 matches, including 91 in the second final against Australia. Sri Lanka were the third team in the series.

No. 1 in Test
Team India became the No. 1 side in Tests for the first time after beating Sri Lanka 2-0 in December, 2009 at the Brabourne Stadium. The Dhoni-led side went on to hold the top position for the next 21 months. India regained the No. 1 Test ranking under the leadership of Virat Kohli last year.

Asia Cup titles
India won their fifth Asia Cup one-day title in 2010 after beating hosts Sri Lanka in Dambulla after a gap of 15 years. Dhoni’s India failed to retain the title in 2012, but they went on to win the Twenty20 version of the tournament held in Bangladesh in 2016.

Double Australian whitewash
India won three back-to-back Test series at home against Australia after the 2007 World Cup, including two whitewashes (2-0 in 2010 and 4-0 in 2013). India opener Shikhar Dhawan’s 174-ball 187 on debut in the third Test at Mohali was the highlight of India’s 4-0 triumph against the then World No. 1 side in 2013. The 2013 show was Australia’s worst Test performance in 43 years since 1970 when they were beaten by an identical 0-4 margin by hosts South Africa.

Team India celebrate after winning the Champions Trophy in 2013. Pic/AFP, Getty ImagesTeam India celebrate after winning the Champions Trophy in 2013

2013 Champions Trophy
Entering as World Cup champions, a lot was expected from India at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and they did not disappoint. Dhoni’s men won all the matches in the tournament before beating England by five runs in a low-scoring, thrilling final that was dominated by the hosts for most of the time at Birmingham.

19-match unbeaten streak
In Tests, Team India were at their very best under the leadership of Virat Kohli. They were unbeaten in 19 matches (15 wins and 4 draws) before losing to Australia in Pune by 333 runs last month. In the process, India registered series wins over Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh.

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