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Kudos to Team India for winning the coveted T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa in the final! In the process, they ended the 11 year wait for a major ICC Trophy. The victory is special as it came after eight successive defeats in the knockout stages of ICC tournaments. Among those eight ICC tournaments, India finished runner-up in five tournaments while getting ousted from the semi-final stages in the remaining three. Moreover, it is the perfect farewell gift for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, who have announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game after winning the World Cup. It is hoped, like the previous World Cup victories in 1983, 2007, and 2011, that the latest victory will also encourage a host of youngsters to play cricket and help India become the numero uno cricketing nation of the world.
The victory was even more remarkable, as India became the first team to win a T20 world cup with an unbeaten record. On their way to the top, India has comprehensively beaten teams like Australia, England, and Afghanistan. The victory against Australia is quite significant, as only eleven months ago, the same team beat India in the finals of the 50-over World Cup. Moreover, India has been a highly consistent team in the cricket world and is undoubtedly better than Australia and England.
After winning the World Cup, Indian captain Rohit Sharma quite rightly stated that success has not come overnight. It has been a by-product of enormous struggle, hard work, and always remaining focused on their goals. Success of such magnitude can only be achieved with determined focus, planning, and execution, not by contributing funds to ICC’s coffer, as alleged by some notable yesteryear cricketers. A former cricketer had even levelled ball tampering charges against the Indian pacers. Instead of focusing anger towards India’s success in recent times, a trip down memory lane could help the former athlete remember the ordeal that his country had gone through when it first introduced the reserve swing.
But Team India’s job is not over yet. It has not yet been able to dominate the world cricket scene like the West Indies did in the seventies and eighties. This is the best example of dominance, as during those years the West Indian team had not only won two successive world cups (1975 and 1979), but had also won most bilateral series. To be considered one of the best teams of the present century, India will have to achieve success similar to what the West Indies achieved under Sir Clive Lloyd. At present, India has the right nucleus to make a strong team, as plenty of youngsters are waiting on the wings to showcase their talents at the international level. If they can remain focused like their predecessors, Team India will definitely be able to earn many more laurels.