Internet Desk: Virat Kohli led Indian cricket team lost the big final of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 against arch-rivals Pakistan by 180 runs on Sunday and failed to retain the trophy they had won under Dhoni’s leadership in 2013. Surprisingly four years ago on this day in 2013 MS Dhoni’s team India won the prestigious title by beating hosts England. The tournament was held also in England and Wales and more importantly it happened prior to the spot-fixing scandal that hit the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. Team India were in Group B with Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies with only two teams going through to the knock-outs. Let’s relive the memories of India’s Champions Trophy victory in 2013.
- India won the first match against South Africa by 26 runs.
- India won the match comprehensively by 8 wickets.
- In their last match of the Group league India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 8 wickets via (D/L Method)
- In the semifinal skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and invited Sri Lanka to bat first. Ravichandran Ashwin (3/48) and Ishant Sharma (3/33) shared 3 wickets each as Sri Lanka could only manage to score 181 in their allotted 50 overs. While chasing opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 68 and Virat Kohli remained not out on 58 to take India home with 15 overs to spare.
- The big final against the hosts England were reduced to 20 overs due to heavy rain. For the first time in the tournament the visitors were put under pressure as they could only manage to score 129 for the loss of seven on a pitch which was slow and low and assisting the spinners. At the end of first innings England were firm favourites to clinch the title as the total was not so big and they were playing on their home turf. But Indian bowlers proved everyone wrong by removing skipper Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and talented Joe Root in quick successions as the hosts could only manage to score 48 runs in 8.4 overs on that moment. Everybody thought India could easily have won the match but Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara had other plans as they shared a 64-run partnership to give the hosts a chance to lift the trophy. On that crucial time Ishant Sharma emerged as the savior of the Men in Blue as he removed both Morgan and Bopara in two successive balls. After that England could only manage to score 124 runs for the loss of 8 wickets and India pulled of a dramatic win to be crowned as Champions.