In comparison to batters and bowlers, India has produced a relatively scarce number of quality all-rounders. Top-order batters and spin spinners have always dominated the cricketing landscape. However, the few all-rounders that have emerged are not just numbers but remarkable talents on the world stage.

These Indian all-rounders have consistently showcased their versatility with both bat and ball, winning matches single-handedly, inspiring their teammates, and setting a benchmark for aspiring young cricketers. Here's a writeup to the top 5 Indian all-rounders who have left an indelible mark on Indian cricket history.  

Kapil Dev

It's no surprise to find Kapil Dev topping the given list. Kapil Dev, an embodiment of raw spirit and grit, has the potential to be remembered as one of India's best athletes. He bowls for extraordinarily lengthy durations that modern bowlers could never imagine, and he has never missed a match due to fitness difficulties. The former captain is India's third-highest wicket-taker in Tests.

But, above all, the 1983 World Cup win was the catalyst for the halo around him. His incredible catch to eliminate Viv Richards in the World Cup final may have been the turning point in the West Indies' dominance. In 382 international cricket matches, he has scored a colossal 9031 runs and 687 wickets. 

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin's career has been a rollercoaster, but it has significantly influenced his arsenal. He replaced Harbhajan Singh on the Indian team and shattered several test records. Ashwin, a street-smart cricketer, used several variations to confuse batters across forms.

Even though he was one of the players who lost his spot in the ODI and T20 teams owing to India's glut of spinners, no one could match his test supremacy. With cautious knocks and daring ramp shots, Ashwin is one of India's top all-rounders. He has scored 4302 runs and taken 744 wickets in his current international spell across all formats.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja completely transformed the fielding aspect of the game, including his all-round ability. Jadeja failed to gain a position on the Indian side despite playing as Virat Kohli's vice-captain in the Under-19 World Cup. Jadeja is still evolving as a limited-overs all-rounder, but his combination with Ravichandran Ashwin is lethal in Test cricket. Jadeja is now a match-winning batsman, ball player, and fielder.

India cannot omit him from any of their teams. With his recent retirement from the T20I side, his fundamental contributions in the ODI and Test formats will be crucial for the Indian team in the coming days. In his international career, he has made 6393 runs and scalped 568 matches in 279 matches.

Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja Entertain Once More at Chepauk

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan was hyped as the future Kapil Dev during his early career. A great left-arm bowling all-rounder with the ability to swing the ball both ways joined the Indian team and immediately made an impression. He became the first Indian bowler to achieve a test hat-trick in the opening three deliveries of a test match.

After demonstrating his ability to knock rapid boundaries late in the innings, he was an easy pick to play for India in the 2007 T20 World Cup, when he was named Man of the Match in the final. In his 141-match career, he scored 2821 runs and scalped 301 wickets. 

Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri is a complete all-rounder both on and off the pitch. In some ways, he revolutionised the game by going against the tide. While batters began scoring runs more quickly, his defensive tactics, such as his ability to play long innings and tire out the opposition and subsequent high scores against formidable opponents, greatly benefited him.

He was a right-handed batsman who bowled left-arm orthodox, an unusual breed of player. But at times, Ravi Shastri became so vicious that he blasted six sixes in one over. His excellent statistics of 3830 runs with 151 wickets in test cricket and 3108 runs with 129 wickets in one-day internationals speak for themselves. Adding cherry on the top, he is also excellent at coaching and commenting.

As former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad continues his fight against cancer, Kapil Dev, the legendary 1983 World Cup-winning captain, has shared an emotional video message of support. Kapil, known for his inspirational leadership on and off the field, urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to assist Anshuman when news broke that the former cricketer and coach was struggling to arrange funds for his treatment. Responding to Kapil’s appeal, the BCCI issued an INR 1 crore fund to support Anshuman in his time of need.

Kapil Dev’s call for support

In his video message, Kapil Dev passionately expressed his solidarity with Anshuman Gaekwad, urging him to remain strong and continue his fight against cancer. Kapil, who has long been an advocate for supporting fellow cricketers, emphasized the importance of coming together as a community during challenging times. His call to action resonated with the cricketing world and prompted swift assistance from the BCCI, highlighting the profound impact of Kapil’s words.

“Hi Anshu, I know you are going through a rough time, but it doesn’t matter, we have all gone through rough times in life. I remember all the good days. The first time? When I played under you, you were my captain. And I remember when I was captain you got two hundred runs in Jalandhar against Pakistan, so good memories. Difficult times come and go, but I know that you are a fighter. Come on, cheer up and try to live a life, whatever God has given you and I wish you get better and better and be happy,” Kapil Dev said in a video.

A touching message of encouragement

Beyond his appeal for financial support, Kapil Dev took the time to reminisce about the memorable moments he shared with Anshuman on the cricket field. In his heartfelt message, Kapil reminded Anshuman of their camaraderie and the joyous times they experienced together. While acknowledging the inevitability of life’s end, Kapil encouraged Anshuman to keep fighting, reassuring him that the entire cricketing fraternity stands behind him.

“We all have to go one day, but the best part about human beings is fighting it out the way you fight it out on the cricket field. Whatever is going to happen, will happen. I hope we meet soon. We will all celebrate together. We had a good time. You just look after yourself. It doesn’t matter whatever happened, it happened for good, and I think you are a wonderful person. We had great stories to talk about. We have a lot to talk about, but firstly you need to get well soon. We will have coffee together and if nothing, then we can have a little drink together as well. Look after yourself. Love you from the entire cricket community. We all feel proud of you to remember that. Don’t let us down? Look after yourself? Love you Anshu. Take care,” he added.

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Kapil’s emotional outreach is a testament to the deep bonds formed within the cricketing community and the unwavering support extended to those facing adversity. His message serves as an inspiration for Anshuman and many others battling similar challenges, reinforcing the power of unity and encouragement in overcoming life’s obstacles.

The suspense is over: Gautam Gambhir will succeed Rahul Dravid as the head coach, starting with India’s limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka. Gambhir’s appointment was officially announced last Wednesday. Although he missed the Zimbabwe tour, where VVS Laxman served as acting coach, Gambhir, the former India opener, is set to take charge in 10 days, heralding a new era in Indian cricket.

It’s important to note that, unlike his predecessors Dravid and Ravi Shastri, Gambhir has no prior coaching experience. However, he served as a mentor for three seasons—two with Lucknow Super Giants and one with Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year—with a commendable track record. LSG reached the IPL Playoffs in 2022 and 2023, and KKR won the title two months ago. While Gambhir may lack extensive coaching experience, he brings a strong pedigree believed to be the right blend of aggression and balance to elevate Indian cricket to new heights.

Gambhir’s peers have been huge positive about his new role, with many considering him the best candidate for the job. However, former India captain Kapil Dev refrained from commenting extensively on Gambhir’s appointment, simply wishing the Indian team and its players good luck for the future.

“If Gautam Gambhir is taking on the role of head coach for the Indian cricket team, I wish him and the team all the best. I hope they achieve greater success than we did in the past. My best wishes go to the Indian players,” Kapil said to PTI during the 2nd edition of the Trinity Golf Champions League in New Delhi.

Kapil Dev’s Time as India’s Coach

Kapil has significant coaching experience with the Indian team, having served as head coach from September 1999 to September 2000. Unfortunately, his tenure was challenging, marked by a tough tour of Australia where India was whitewashed in the Test series and won only one out of 14 matches in the CB tri-series. Additionally, India suffered a 0-2 defeat against South Africa at home, marking their first Test series loss at home in 12 years.

During this time, Kapil faced match-fixing allegations from his former teammate Manoj Prabhakar, which shook the nation and ultimately led to his resignation. In 2004, he made a brief return to coaching as the bowling consultant for India’s tour of Pakistan.

Gambhir’s Challenge Ahead

However, Gambhir’s appointment is anticipated to differ significantly from Kapil’s tenure. He faces the daunting task of filling big shoes left by his predecessor, Dravid, who guided India to a World Cup victory after 13 years and an ICC title after 11. With the Champions Trophy and the third World Test Championship scheduled for next year, followed by the 2026 T20 World Cup on home soil, Gambhir faces a challenging tenure ahead. This includes the upcoming five-Test series in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year.

The Gambhir era appears to be taking shape. Reports suggest he is keen to include Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who had earlier opted out of the Sri Lanka tour, in the upcoming series. With only a few ODIs remaining before the Champions Trophy in February 2025, Gambhir aims to strengthen the team. Furthermore, there are indications that under Gambhir’s leadership, India may witness a new T20I captain, with reports suggesting Suryakumar Yadav, rather than Hardik Pandya, is poised to succeed the recently retired Rohit Sharma.

Dale Steyn, a former South African fast bowler, commented that “Captains could be top class bowlers”, while giving an example of Keshav Maharaj’s leadership for Durban Super Giants in the SA20 2024 league. In group stage matches Maharaj won seven out of ten matches, thus taking them to the final where they lost to SunRisers Eastern Cape by 89 runs. Throughout the tournament, he showed exceptional skills in his leadership role.

In his talk with TOI, Steyn said “South Africa has got a gem like Keshav Maharaj. At present he is captaining Durban Supergiants and he is doing a fantastic job.” His captaincy exploits were highlighted by Steyn.

Bowlers as Captains: Maharaj’s Leadership

“Maharaj has also captained South Africa in white-ball cricket 12 times and boasts an excellent record, especially in T20Is,” said Steyn. During T20Is however Proteas have never been defeated since this young man became their leader at the age of 34 years; they have won four out of five games played with one No Result. Nevertheless, his ODI record does not speak as well with two victories from seven games as skipper.

Steyn, however, alluded to the intellectual aspect of captaincy which requires both strategizing and understanding the opponents. In his discussion, he also mentioned Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, Imran Khan and Anil Kumble amongst many other famous names who were former bowlers or bowling all rounders that have captained their respective sides with much success over the years.

Steyn’s Perspective: The Role of Bowlers in Leadership

“Bowlers are thinking cricketers,” Steyn observed. “They can read players better than anyone else.” The next one is a bit harder. You must be able to manage your workload as well as when you should not bowl or bowl in addition to handling injuries.

Furthermore, Steyn praised Pat Cummins for being an exemplary leader and noted that he had stated “Pat Cummins has found this really good.” He added: “I think what Pat’s done now is pretty extraordinary actually.” During his tenure as captain, Cummins won some iconic matches for Australia including clinching the WTC title and ODI world cup which showed his versatility as a player across multiple formats.

Finally, fast bowlers tend to attract more injuries compared batters who might captain their teams. This notwithstanding, Cummins’ stewardship performance exhibits how bowlers can prosper in senior positions at cricket’s highest level.

India will be looking at a second World Cup in a span of just one year and as the wait for the hallowed silverware keeps growing, the fans persist in making the noises louder. India’s World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev had a close look at Team India and opened up on a possible route of changing the Men in Blue into an unstoppable force before the World Cup arrives.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been two massive pillars of support for the Indian batting line up and with the kind of form that they have shown over the years, it is needless to say that in the forthcoming days, it won’t be any different. However, India will have to start finding more match-winners and Kapil Dev simply highlighted the need to do so. Talking to ABP News, Kapil Dev said, “If you want to win the World Cup, the coach, selectors, and team management will have to make some tough decisions.

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Support experienced player with the hard work of youngsters is perfect pair

If you think Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and 2-3 players will win us the World Cup then that’s never going to happen.” He further added, “You should believe in your team. Do we have such a team? Definitely. Do we have certain match winners? Yes, of course! We have players who can win the World Cup.” Talking on building a core team of younger players, Kapil said, “There are always a couple of players who turn out to be the pillars of your side.

You need players who fulfil each of their responsibilities. The youngsters will need to come forward and say ‘it is our time’.” He concluded by talking about why the 2023 World Cup can actually play to India’s strengths, summing, “The biggest positive is that the World Cup will happen in India. Nobody knows the conditions better than we do. For the last 8-10 years, Rohit and Virat have been two of the most important cricketers for India. Many have started to ask the question if this will be Virat and Rohit’s last World Cup.

I believe they can play but they will need to work really hard. Fitness will play a key role. There are a lot of youngsters coming up, will they be able to compete with them? There is a question mark but it depends on how they want to play their game. There is no shortage of ability.”

The anticipation for Team India’s first match in the T20 World Cup 2022 is growing, and the fact that it is against Pakistan, the team’s archrival, has made the competition even more interesting. Australia’s renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the match. Sachin Tendulkar and Ravi Shastri, both great Indian players, believe India can easily reach the semifinals. 

However, Kapil Dev, a former Indian captain, does not feel that way

He believes that India’s chances of reaching the semi-finals are lower. He stated that he can only discuss India’s chances if they finish in the top four. 

“In T20 cricket, the team winning a match can lose the next… It’s a very difficult to talk about the chances of India winning the World Cup. The issue is can they make it to the top four? And I am concerned about their making it to the top four, only then anything can be said. For me, it’s just 30 % chance of India making it to the top four. Having a batter like Suryakumar in the team in the company of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, a team automatically becomes strong.”

said Kapil Dev in a promotional event in Lucknow. He however added that India have a decent batting attack which possesses stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

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On Wednesday (October 19), India’s second warm-up match against New Zealand was abandoned. In Brisbane, it rained incessantly, and the bad weather is likely to affect more World Cup matches, including the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan. At the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the hosts and defending champions Australia will face the finalists from last year, New Zealand, on Saturday, October 22.

There appears to be a likely dramatic change in how cricket tournaments will be held in the future as T20 leagues spread around the globe. Now that the UAE and South Africa are also launching their own Twenty20 cricket leagues, there are now even more competitions like the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League, and Big Bash League. Because there are so many franchise leagues throughout the world, the majority of which have attracted significant commercial interest, some analysts have projected that cricket may follow football’s lead and adopt the practice of having players compete in club contests for the majority of the year.

Kapil Dev, the captain of the 1983 World Cup-winning India team, believes that the money made by franchise T20 leagues should be used to preserve Test cricket.

“I think it’s fading out,” Dev told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Monday in Sydney, where he was guest of honour at the India Australia Strategic Alliance dinner celebrating 76 years of Indian Independence.

“The ICC has a bigger responsibility how to manage this game. It’s going the way as football in Europe. They don’t play against each country. It is once in four years (during the World Cup). Is this what we’re going to have, the World Cup and the rest of the time playing club cricket?”

Kapil Dev said

Dev continued by saying that it is the ICC’s duty to ‘to ensure the survival’ of Tests and ODIs.

“In a similar way, will cricketers eventually be playing mainly the IPL or the Big Bash or something like that? So the ICC have to put more time into that to see how they can ensure the survival of one-day cricket, Test match cricket, not only club cricket,”

he said.

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“Club cricket is OK for a while. The Big Bash is OK. But the South African league is coming, the UAE league is coming. If all the countries are going to play the club cricket, then international cricket will be only for the World Cup.”

he concluded

Former India captain Kapil Dev feels that the International Cricket Council (ICC) needs to focus on guaranteeing the survival of One-day as well as Test match cricket. The growth of franchise T20 leagues has raised serious question marks over the fate of ODI cricket, and concerns for its future down the line, including Test cricket. 

The ODI retirement of England Test skipper Ben Stokes because of a jam-stuffed, unreasonable schedule feels somewhat unsure about the eventual fate of the 50-over game.

“I think it’s fading out. The ICC (International Cricket Council) has a bigger responsibility how to manage this game. It’s going the way as football in Europe. They don’t play against each country. It is once in four years (during the World Cup). Is this what we’re going to have, the World Cup and the rest of the time playing club (T20 franchise) cricket? In a similar way, will cricketers eventually be playing mainly the IPL or the Big Bash or something like that? So the ICC have to put more time into that to see how they can ensure the survival of one-day cricket, Test match cricket, not only club cricket,”

Dev was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Dev, the 1983 ODI World Cup winning captain, was guest of honour at the India-Australia Strategic Alliance dinner celebrating 76 years of Indian Independence in Sydney. He proceeded to fear that with South Africa and the UAE having their own T20 leagues early next year, international cricket could simply be restricted to World Cups.

“Club cricket is OK for a while. The Big Bash is OK. But the South African league is coming, the UAE league is coming. If all the countries are going to play the club cricket, then international cricket will be only for the World Cup.”

He added

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South Africa’s T20 League, scheduled to be held in January and February 2023, will be directly clashing with UAE’s International League T20 (ILT20), to be also held in January next year. The two leagues will be operating in time Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) and Bangladesh’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will be on.

At the point when former India cricketers like Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Venkatesh Prasad addressed Virat Kohli’s place in India’s T20I side, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar supported the former India captain to come great in the ODI series against England.

Gavaskar, who is strictly against cricketers taking regular rests, said India have embraced a “go big or go home” way of batting in T20 cricket which won’t find success consistently and subsequently Kohli will have a significantly better possibility of succeeding in the ODIs, where he can get his eye in and play his natural game.

“See, I cannot understand that when Rohit Sharma does not score runs no one talks about it. It is the same with other players as well. There is a saying that form is temporary, class is temperament. See, the kind of template they are adopting (in T20Is) where they have to swing the bat from ball one, you will succeed and fail,”

Gavaskar told Sports Tak.

Kohli, who is probably going to sit out of the first ODI at the Oval on Tuesday because of a crotch injury, got full support from captain Rohit Sharma, who excused the discussions about the inquiries on the former skipper’s situation in the side as ‘outside noise.’

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“I think the ODI series has come at the right time. It suits his natural game. Like in Test cricket, there is enough time to settle down. In ODI cricket too the batter can play himself according to the conditions,”

Gavaskar opined.

Backing Kohli further, Gavaskar said there is sufficient time before the T20 World Cup team is declared. Kohli will get a great deal of chances to return to frame before the showpiece event in Australia in October-November.

“We have a good selection committee which is thinking about it. I think there is enough time (more than two months) to announce the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. There will be several competitive Asian countries participating in the event. You will have to pick your team keeping in mind the form of a player. There is no need to panic yet and we need to give them some time,”

the 73-year-old added.

Kohli has not been upto to the mark recently. In the T20I series against England too, Kohli got back with miserable scores of 1 and 11, getting out attempting to play aggressive shots.

Prior, former World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev had said that Virat Kohli ought not be given extra preference and ought to be excluded from the team if he doesn’t score runs. In any case, Rohit Sharma countered him expressing that they don’t have any idea what is happening inside the team and thus the external discussions don’t affect the team.

There have been reports doing the rounds of the internet that Kohli had requested rest during the five-match T20I series against West Indies towards the finish of July 2022. Yet, the former expert was not persuaded with players requesting rest during International competitions.

The Indian side will next feature in the ODI series against England beginning on 12 July. Gavaskar accepts that the series could help Kohli as his game is fit to the ODI design.

“I feel the 50-overs games are coming at the right time as his natural game suits the format. He can get a bit of time to settle himself before starting to hit. So it can be a good format for Kohli,”

Gavaskar said.

India is on its way to become the first side to play 1000 ODIs as they gear up to face the West Indies today. Their journey to a 1000 ODIs has been as significant as any, and through the years the team has come across many defining moments which helped shape the national Cricket team. While it is tough to pick a set of ODIs out of thousand, here are a few which are fairly important in the history of the team.

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India Vs Zimbabwe 1983 World Cup

The Indian Team came into the fixture in a must-win position and had entered the virtual knock-out stage by the time they faced Zimbabwe. There was immense pressure on India, and back then the Zimbabwe Cricket team was a strong one. The pressure was felt as India collapsed to 17 runs for 5 wickets. A huge chunk of the batting was gone in the opening burst, and it took one of the best one-day innings from Kapil Dev to save India.

Kapil Dev took the attack to Zimbabwe and made 175 from 138 balls to get his side to a good score. They were able to defend their total, and won thanks to a World Record score from Kapil Dev. The win was crucial for them as it set them off in the tournament, and from that point, Kapil Dev’s team never looked back.

India Vs West Indies 1983 World Cup Final

Nobody expected Kapil Dev’s tea to make the finals of a World Cup back in 1983. They were taken as tourists who came to play Cricket in between, but here they were, contesting in the Finals against two time champions West Indies in the third Cricket World Cup. Both sides faced of twice before the finals in the 1983 edition, and had one win apiece. Kapil and Co played some wonderful Cricket against Australia, Zimbabwe and England as well, but nobody gave them a chance against a side that had the likes of Clive Lloyd, Richards and the famous West Indies pace attack.

The underdogs was dismissed for 183 to make things worse, and a good start from Richards took India’s hopes away. After the opening breakthrough though, things changed. Kapil Dev took a good catch to dismiss Richards, and a few hours later the West Indies collapsed giving India a World Cup win at Lords. The victory was a big one in Indian Cricket as it sent a message within and beyond the country that Cricket was taken seriously in the nation. The moment inspired many youngsters to take up the game, and Indian Cricket was truly on its way to achieve greatness.

India Vs Pakistan, 1985 World Series Final

Two years after the World Cup, the World Champions were contesting for another ODI trophy. They were a part of the famous World Series in Australia and made the finals against arch-rivals Pakistan, after beating the likes of Australia and New Zealand. The game turned out to be a one-sided affair with Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma taking the rails of Pakistan’s innings early. Pakistan made 176 and Kris Srikkanth along with Ravi Shastri helped India complete an easy chase. The game wasn’t the most thrilling but it helped establish the Indian Team as a consistent side in World Cricket.

India Vs Pakistan 1996 World Cup Quarter Final

The 1996 World Cup quarter-finals in Bangalore was probably one of the biggest games in the tournament. Both sides were hosting the tournament, Pakistan was defending champions and it was a knockout game. The game lived up to its expectations. Wasim Akram pulled out in the last minute to begin the drama, and Navjot Singh Sidhu along with Ajay Jadeja took India to 287.

Pakistan began their reply brightly. They raced away to 84 in the first ten, and put the hosts on the backfoot early. It was after the initial phase that the famous Aamer Sohail-Venkatesh Prasad incident happened. After hitting a boundary, Sohail gestured to Prasad asking him to fetch the ball, and a fired-up Prasad took his wicket the very next ball to begin an aggressive celebration. The wicket began a procession as Pakistan lost their way. Playing in his last innings, Javed Mianded put up a brief fight in the end, struggling but keeping himself in the game until a run-out ended things for Pakistan.

India Vs Australia 1998 Coco-cola cup final

The Coco-cola Cup Finals provided two classics, and two games that displayed India’s best ODI batter strongly. The first game was the last league game which saw Sachin Tendulkar play an aggressive innings in a game disturbed by a sandstorm. India lost, but the sand-storm innings helped them go to the finals on net-run-rate.

In the finals, Sachin Tendulkar continued his run, and made easy work of Australia’s target as he charged at Shane Warne. He made two magnificent centuries and won the Coco-cola cup with ease.

India Vs England, Natwest Series Final

After 1998 India didn’t win any multi-national event, and the 2002 Natwest series came as a welcoming entrant to the trophy cabinet. In the finals, India were given a target of 326, and were reduced to 146 for 5. A target above 300 was not easy back then and an England win seemed highly likely. With the odds against India though, two youngsters in Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh formed a partnership. They countered England well, and Yuvraj in particular was dominant. The partnership quickly took the visiting side to the target, ending the visiting sides run without trophies.

India Vs Australia, 2008 CB Series

Australia were three-time World Champions, and had a very strong line-up in the CB series. India on the other hand had a relatively new-skipper. India also let go of some senior players before the match and had a set of youngsters. With some big names missing, not many gave India a chance in the tri-series.

The youngsters though proved to be very capable. Led by MS Dhoni, the fitness in the side improved, and the fielding was brilliant. Yuvraj Singh in particular was a star in the field, and with strong fielders, the tournament went well. While the group stages were dominated by the youngsters though, the finals had an old-timer doing the job for India.

In both finals, Sachin Tendulkar came up with two good innings to steer his team to victory as he along with the bowlers helped win their first ODI event in Australia since the World Series in 1985. The win helped MS Dhoni ease into ODI captaincy as his team started their preparation for the ODI World Cup. The core was found, and from this tournament fitness and fielding became an important factor in the new team.

India Vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup Final

The 2008 CB Series win paved the way for a template in Indian Cricket, and that template became very effective in 2011. The Indian team made the finals after a tough ride, losing to South African and tying a game to England. They then went on to beat Australia and Pakistan in the quarter and semi-finals, in two games that could easily be on this list of big games in Indian Cricket.

The finals, held in Mumbai was the first between two Asian sides, and it was between two sides who faced each other so much in the lead-up to the tournament. It was Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup, and there were some big names in attendance.

Batting first, Sri Lanka got a good score with a brilliant century from Mahela Jayawardene. There was a good opening spell from Zaheer Khan as well, the home team was given a target of 274. Only one side won a World Cup Final while chasing, and no team crossed 250 chasing in a finals, leaving the pressure on India. To add to the pressure, Lasith Malinga was quick to silence the Mumbai crowd. He picked up Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar for 31 runs, and there was pin-drop silence in Mumbai.

With the pressure on the home team, Gautam Gambhir played one of the greatest and underrated knocks in Indian Cricket history. He had a partnership with Virat Kohli, as they looked to recover, Virat Kohli’s 35 was a crucial one as well, and is a knock that is often forgotten. Gautam Gambhir fell for 97, but by then he stitched another partnership with MS Dhoni, who promoted himself to counter Muralitharan.

Promoting himself for the final act, MS Dhoni supported Gambhir nicely, attacking while Gambhir stayed stable. He allowed the required rate to stay within reach, and took his team home with his famous six over long-on to set off the celebrations. The win allowed Sachin Tendulkar to get his hands on the World Cup, and it was India’s first World Cup win in 28 years.