23rd June 2013 is the last time India won an ICC tournament Final. India won the Champions Trophy in England with a young side under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Eight years later, on the same date, India lost yet another ICC tournament Final. India won their last World Cup in 2011 and their last T20 World Cup in 2007. Since 2013, India has been reaching the knockouts of each and every ICC tournament but they haven’t been able to cross the final hurdle.
It is not that only the current team is losing Finals of ICC tournaments. There have been Indian teams from the past who haven’t been able to cross the final hurdles a couple of times. So, on that note, let’s look at the five instances when an Indian captain ended up on the losing side in an ICC tournament Final.
5. Sourav Ganguly – ICC Champions Trophy 2000
India was up against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy Final in 2000 at Nairobi. India batted first and Sourav Ganguly led from the front as he scored 117 off 130 balls to take India to 264/6 in their 50 overs.
New Zealand was in trouble at one stage with the score being 82-3 but a fabulous century from Chris Cairns and a decent contribution from Chris Harris helped them cross the line with just 2 balls to spare. New Zealand won the Final by four wickets and India lost their first ICC Final under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly.
4. Sourav Ganguly – ICC World Cup 2003
This is one of the most heartbreaking losses for an Indian fan. The Indian team wasn’t in great form before the World Cup but they played some high-quality cricket to reach the Finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. India was up against the mighty Australians in the Final.
The Indians started on the wrong note as Zaheer Khan bowled an expensive first over. Australia went onto score a mammoth 359 in their 50 overs with Ricky Ponting scoring 140 off just 121 balls. India didn’t even get close to the target as they were bowled out for 234. India lost their second ICC Final under Sourav Ganguly.
3. MS Dhoni – ICC T20 World Cup 2014
India had played some great cricket in the T20 World Cup in 2014 in Bangladesh. India had made the finals with the help of their spinners and Virat Kohli’s runs. India batted first and managed only 130 runs in their 20 overs. Yuvraj Singh couldn’t get going as he scored only 11 off 21 balls.
Sri Lanka chased down the total easily in just 17.5 overs with 6 wickets in hand. MS Dhoni who had won all three ICC trophies finally lost an ICC Final. If India would have managed to win it then India could have held all three ICC trophies.
2. Virat Kohli – ICC Champions Trophy 2017
Virat Kohli was leading India for the first time in an ICC trophy and India managed to reach the Finals of the Champions trophy in 2017. India was up against Pakistan who they had defeated easily in the league stage. India won the toss and opted to chase on a flat wicket.
Pakistan put up a mammoth total of 338/4 in their 50 overs with Fakhar Zaman scoring 114 off 106 balls. Chasing 339, India lost their top three in quick succession as Mohammad Amir found some swing with the new ball. Hardik Pandya tried his best but India was bowled out for 158. India lost their first ICC Final under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.
1. Virat Kohli – ICC World Test Championship Final
India reached the Final of the inaugural World Test Championship after finishing first in the points table. They won five out of their six series and had a strong side going into the Final. They were up against New Zealand, who had defeated them in the World Test Championship.
Once again, New Zealand proved to be the thorn in the flesh for India as they defeated India in the Final of the ICC World Test Championship. The Indian batsmen couldn’t cope up with the swing and seam of the New Zealand bowlers as they were bowled out for below-par scores in both innings. New Zealand chased down 139 on the reserve day to become the inaugural World Test Champions.
