Here are India's top 10 World Cup triumphs over the past ten years, a complex list to compile. What standard will be used? Is it preferable to win by taking wickets or by scoring runs? Sunil Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer scored the 50s as India comfortably defeated East Africa by ten wickets in 1975. Due to brilliant performances by Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, and Sachin Tendulkar, India scored 413 against Bermuda in the 2007 tournament. But are they indeed our greatest triumphs? I'm sure that everyone will reject the idea. So let's try a different set of criteria. Think about the term "emotion." It is quantifiable for sports fans when particular techniques like the ones below are used.
1. India Vs West Indies, Wc 1983
One must start with India's triumph over the West Indies in the 1983 group stage. Yashpal Sharma's 89 helped India reach 262, and Ravi Shastri took three wickets to restrict the West Indies to 228. This is crucial because India did poorly in the previous two World Cups, which the mighty West Indies won both times. This game was seen as a formality and a step toward the Windies winning the Cup for the third time in a row. India astonished the cricketing world with its triumph.
2. India Vs Zimbabwe, Wc 1983
India overcame Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup despite appearing to be in an impossible situation. This will be recognised as one of the most amazing ODI innings. Until Kapil Dev blasted an astounding 175 runs to raise the total to 266 runs, India was 17/5. Syed Kirmani pitched in a bold 24 and shared a 9th wicket partnership for 126 runs. Unfortunately, Kapil's outstanding innings were not recorded for posterity due to a BBC strike.
3. India Vs West Indies, Final, Wc 1983
India was declared out for 183 in the 1983 championship. With 38 points, Krishnamachari Srikkanth took the lead. Gordon Greenidge was eliminated from the competition when Balwinder Sandhu delivered a banana. Before Kapil took a spectacular catch to dismiss him, Viv Richards got off to a quick start, scoring 33 runs in just 28 balls. Jimmy Amaranth scored 3/12 as West Indies were dismissed for 140 runs. Kapil's Devils have done the inconceivable. India won the World Cup.
4. India Vs Pakistan, Wc 1992
1992 saw India play Pakistan. It was the first World Cup match between the bitter rivals. Additionally, it was the first World Cup to include day-and-night games with coloured clothing. With Sachin Tendulkar scoring 54 runs without being out, India reached 216 runs. In retaliation, Pakistan was expelled for 173. Manoj Prabhakar, Javagal Srinath, and Kapil got along nicely. Javed Miandad will always be known for mimicking Kiran More's repeated pleading by leaping up and down.
5. India Vs Pakistan, Quarterfinal, Wc 1996
In the quarterfinals against Pakistan in 1996, India earned one of their greatest triumphs. Ajay Jadeja scored 45 runs in the final 25 balls. The dangerous Waqar Younis let up 40 runs in his last two overs when Jadeja was in full scream. India received 287 points overall. Pakistan started well, but Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad did an outstanding job keeping them at 248. Aamer Sohail and Venkatesh Prasad's argument will always be remembered. As thrilling as it gets is when Pakistan's acting captain hits Prasad over the fence, displays his bat at the boundary, is castled the next ball, and is given a send-off by the bowler.
6. India Vs Sri Lanka, Wc 1999
Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid batted effectively in the 1999 India-Sri Lanka game, making 183 and 145 runs, respectively, to help India reach 373. Later, as Sri Lanka was bowled out for 216, Robin Singh claimed five wickets. This game was noteworthy because India and Sri Lanka have previously had bad encounters.
7. India Vs Pakistan, Wc 2003
In their 2003 encounter with India, Pakistan scored 273 points. Pakistan's bowlers were perplexed by a spectacular attack by Sachin and Sehwag in response. Shoaib Akhtar, the speediest bowler in the world, allegedly declined to bowl at Sachin. In one of his best ODI performances, the man of the match Sachin smashed 98 off 75 balls as India easily prevailed.
8. India Vs West Indies, Wc 2011
India will compete against the West Indies in 2011. This is significant because it showed the team's resilience in facing difficulty. They were choosing to bat first, India. Virat Kohli (59) and Yuvraj (113) batted well, but the rest of the squad did not support them. India went out for 268 with five balls remaining. After 30 overs, Devon Smith's 81 runs helped the Windies reach 154/2. The West Indies lost their final eight wickets for 34 runs before the Indians took over. With the help of his 3-26, India's captain Zaheer Khan guided his team to a comfortable 80-run victory.
9. India Vs Australia, Quarterfinal, Wc 2011
India and Australia were against each other in a quarterfinal game in 2011. Australia is never a simple opponent, particularly when defending three World Cup championships. Although Australia's captain Ricky Ponting (104) and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (53) both batted well, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, and Yuvraj Singh consistently took wickets to maintain Australia at 260/6. With Sachin hitting 53 and Gambhir reaching 50, India got off to a strong start. After a brief scare, India advanced to the semifinals thanks to Yuvraj's unbeaten score of 57 and Raina's energetic 34 off 28 deliveries.
10. India Vs Sri Lanka, Final, Wc 2011
How can we ever forget the championship game from 2011? Mahela Jayawardene, who batted first for Sri Lanka, produced an outstanding century to assist his country reach 274. In response, India quickly fell behind by a score of 31/2 when Lasith Malinga quickly removed Sachin and Sehwag. Yuvraj, the player in excellent form, was demoted in favour of MS Dhoni, who was partnered superbly with Gauti, who was out for 97. Then, Dhoni and Yuvraj guided India to success. As he watched the ball fade, Dhoni will be remembered for his decisive sixes and laser-like focus. In 28 years, India won the World Cup for the first time.
