When India took on Australia in the 2023 ICC World Cup final, their fans could not have been more confident than they already were. And, it was justifiable – India had been, by far, the most dominant team of the competition.
They came into the final on the back of ten consecutive victories, with almost all of them being one-sided triumphs. Yet, when the stakes were at their highest, India fluffed their lines, succumbing to a six-wicket defeat in front of over 90,000 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
This marks the tenth consecutive ICC trophy where India have not been able to return with an accolade, with the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy still being the India's last success at the biggest stage.
Here's what has happened over the last 10 years:
The Despondency Decade for Indian Cricket Team
India have played 93 matches across the nine ICC tournaments, winning 64 of those games. Whilst a win percentage of 67.37 does not look underwhelming, the trophies column is proving to be a major worrying factor, with India almost inevitably faltering when the stakes are at their highest.
2014 T20 World Cup – Defeat to Sri Lanka in final.
2015 ODI World Cup – Loss against Australia in semi-final.
2016 T20 World Cup – Crashed out in semis against West Indies.
2017 Champions Trophy – An unceremonious defeat against neighbours Pakistan in the final.
2019 ODI World Cup – Agonising semi-final defeat against the Kiwis.
2019-21 World Test Championship – Yet another defeat against the Kiwis, who, by this time, were getting started to be branded as India’s nemesis.
2021 T20 World Cup – Could not qualify for semi-finals.
2022 T20 World Cup – A humbling ten-wicket defeat against England.
2021-23 World Test Championship – A 209-run defeat against Australia, which ultimately led to the situation we currently find ourselves in, engulfed in a raging debate.
2023 ODI World Cup – Despite having a spectacular league stage campaign, where they won nine matches, and after a 70-run triumph in the semi-final, India still faltered in the final. At the last hurdle, they suffered a six-wicket defeat against Australia.
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