17 minutes agoAuthor: Ashwin Solanki
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No ICC trophy has been won for 11 years, everyone was saying that we are chokers. We are not chokers…champions. After 2011, India played 5 finals, but in the last ODI World Cup, they lost while winning. This time Rohit’s team won such a final, in which everyone was thinking that India could not win.
What is 30 runs on 30 balls in T-20, but Indian bowlers, Indian fielders, Rohit’s captaincy proved that victory requires spirit, not runs.
Team India removed the stain from its chokers…
Won T20 World Cup after 17 years
India won its first T20 World Cup in 2007, the team won the trophy by defeating Pakistan by 5 runs in the final. After this the team played 7 more T-20 World Cups. The team reached the knockout stage i.e. semi-finals and finals 3 times, but missed the title.
In 2014, India defeated South Africa in the semi-finals, but lost the final to Sri Lanka. In 2016, India reached the knockouts on their own home ground, but lost the semi-finals to West Indies. In 2022, the team reached the knockout for the last time, but this time England defeated them by 10 wickets.
Meanwhile, in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2021 the team could not even cross the group stage. Now India played its third final in the World Cup of the same format and this time ended its ICC title drought by winning the trophy.
Now let’s talk about South Africa. The first final match was at hand. Clausen had scored 52 runs on 27 balls, the most dangerous finisher David Miller was also at the crease. South Africa had started celebrating the victory, but Bumrah-Arshdeep had 2-2 overs and Hardik had 3 overs left. All three converted defeat into victory.
After 32 years, it was expected that South Africa would wash away the stain of chokers, but the team could not chase the target of 177 runs. Lost by 7 runs. Its history has not changed, it was chokers earlier also, it has proved to be the same even today. See when Africa has proved to be chokers…
Lost 5 semi-finals in ODI World Cup
South Africa played the ODI World Cup for the first time in 1992 after the ICC ban was lifted. The team performed brilliantly and made it to the semi-finals, but lost to England. From 1996 to 2015, the team reached the knockout round 5 out of 6 times, but sometimes lost the quarter-finals and sometimes the semi-finals. In 2003 and 2019 the team could not reach the knockout round.
In 2023, South Africa made a comeback and played the semi-finals, but lost to Australia. The team had lost this ODI World Cup third semi-final against Australia. Apart from this, the team has lost knockout twice to New Zealand and once each to West Indies and England. The only knockout match the team won was in 2015, when South Africa defeated Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Only win in Champions Trophy
In 1998 the ICC introduced its second 50-over tournament for the first time in the form of the Champions Trophy. It was sometimes named Wills International and sometimes Knockout Trophy, but now it is known as Champions Trophy. South Africa performed brilliantly in this and also lifted the trophy by winning 3 consecutive knockout matches. Jacques Kallis became Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament.
This was the first and last ICC title for the South African senior cricket team. After this, the team participated in the Champions Trophy 7 times, but leave alone the title, it did not even reach the finals. The team lost 2 consecutive semi-finals to India in 2000 and 2002. In 2006, West Indies and in 2013 England knocked them out after defeating them in the semi-finals.
South Africa could not even cross the group stage in 2004, 2009 and 2017. After the first title, the team played 5 knockout matches in the Champions Trophy, losing 4 semi-finals. The only quarter-final against England was also won in the year 2000. That means the team has been choking in the World Cup for 32 years and in the Champions Trophy for 26 years.
Played the first final in T-20 World Cup, but was destined to lose.
When the World Cup of the shortest format of cricket started in 2007, ICC gave its hosting rights to South Africa. The team defeated West Indies in the very first match. Even in the Super-8, the team won 2 consecutive matches, but had to be eliminated from the group stage after losing the last match to India.
In 2009, South Africa again reached the semi-finals, but this time lost to Pakistan. Group stage exits in 2010 and 2012. Reached the semi-finals in 2014, but had to be eliminated after losing to India.
From 2016 to 2022, the team again came out of the group stage and now in 2024 made it to the finals for the first time. The team defeated Afghanistan in the semi-finals and won a knockout match in the T20 World Cup for the first time. South Africa had a chance to win its first World Cup, but the team lost against India by 7 runs.
Did not play even a single final of WTC
After Champions Trophy, ODI World Cup and T-20 World Cup, ICC also started Test format tournament in 2019. It was named World Test Championship i.e. WTC, in which 6-6 series are played between the top-9 teams for 2 years. The final is held among the teams finishing in the top-2 positions at the end of the points table. South Africa has not been able to reach the finals of this tournament till date.
South Africa lost 10 semi-finals in 26 years
From 1999 to 2024, South Africa played 23 ICC tournaments. The team exited the group stage 11 times, but also reached the knockout stage 12 times. The team was tagged as chokers because they lost 12 out of 15 matches in the knockout stage. These included 10 semi-finals, one final and one quarter-final.
South Africa also got 2 out of 3 wins in the knockout stage in the quarter-finals. The team won the semi-finals of an ICC tournament for the first time in 26 years, when they defeated Afghanistan and entered the finals.
India reached the final-semi-finals after 2011 but did not win… the wait was…
India last won the ODI World Cup title in 2011. 28 years ago, in 1983, the team got its first success in the World Cup of this format. Then the team won the trophy by defeating West Indies in the final and in 2011, Sri Lanka in the final. Since then, India played 3 more ODI World Cups, each time the team reached the knockout stage, but could not win the title in even one.
In 2015, India defeated Bangladesh in the quarter-finals, but lost to home team Australia in the semi-finals. In 2019, New Zealand defeated India in the semi-finals. In 2023, India again settled the scores and defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals, but the team could not win against Australia in the finals.
The last Champions Trophy title was won in 2013.
India won its first title in the Champions Trophy in 2002, however, due to the final being inconclusive, the trophy had to be shared with Sri Lanka. After this, in 2013, the team defeated England in the final on its home ground and captured the trophy. This was India’s last ICC trophy in the last 11 years.
After 2013, the Champions Trophy tournament took place only once in 2017. India defeated Bangladesh in the semi-finals and entered the final for the second consecutive time, but suffered a huge 180-run defeat against Pakistan. After this the Champions Trophy did not take place, now in 2025 the tournament will be held in Pakistan.
Lost both finals of the World Test Championship
The final of WTC i.e. World Test Championship has taken place only twice till now in 2021 and 2023. India made it to the finals both times, but lost in both. In 2021, New Zealand was defeated by 8 wickets and in 2023, Australia was defeated by 209 runs.
India had lost 5 finals in 10 years, now won
Team India was definitely the biggest choker of the decade, but India did not have a team that lost in the semi-finals like South Africa. This team reached the finals and lost. In the last 11 years, Team India had lost 5 finals of 11 ICC tournaments, not only this, India has also lost 4 semi-finals. But this time the team did not miss the opportunity and is returning home with the title.
Since 2014, India has played 15 knockout matches in ICC tournaments. The team won 6 and lost 9. Won 4 out of 6 semi-finals and won the World Cup trophy in one final.
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Graphics: Ankit Pathak, Kunal Sharma
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