On this day in 2013, India secured a memorable victory in the ICC Champions Trophy by defeating England. The rain-curtailed final was an exhilarating contest, with India emerging triumphant by a narrow margin of 5 runs. This achievement marked a significant milestone as Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first captain to win three different ICC tournament trophies, adding to his earlier successes in the ODI World Cup in 2011 and the T20 World Cup in 2007.
Rain doesn't spare Final
The final match of the Champions Trophy took place on June 23, 2013, India and the host nation, England, made it to the final after finishing at the top of their respective groups and winning their semi-final matches. The tournament was marred by the notorious English rain, and even the final at Edgbaston in Birmingham was affected. Due to the rain, the match had to be shortened from a 50-overs-per-side contest to a 20-overs-per-side match.
After the rain delay, England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to field first. India, with a new opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, began their innings, but Rohit was dismissed in the fourth over. Dhawan partnered with Virat Kohli, and after scoring 31 runs, Dhawan was also eventually dismissed.
Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni fell quickly, adding only 2 runs to the team's score. However, Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial innings, forming a significant partnership of 47 runs with Kohli. Kohli was dismissed for 43, while Jadeja remained unbeaten on 33 off 25 balls, taking India's total to 129 for 7 wickets.
Morgan-Bopara bridge poor start
Chasing a target of 130 runs, England faced early setbacks as their captain, Cook, was dismissed in the second over. The team lost wickets at regular intervals, and by the ninth over, they had already lost four batsmen with only 46 runs on the board.
Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara then formed a 50-run partnership, bringing England closer to victory. With only 20 runs needed off 16 balls, both batsmen were at the crease.
Ishan swings the game like a pendulum
In a pivotal over by Ishant Sharma, the 18th over of the second innings, he made a significant impact on the match. After starting with a dot ball, he hit a six on the second ball. However, the next two balls were bowled wide, which increased the pressure.
With 20 needed off 16 balls, Ishant got Morgan caught at short mid-wicket and Bopara at short square leg, taking both wickets in consecutive deliveries. This turned the match in India's favour as they could only score a single run off the last four balls of Ishant's over.
With England needing 19 runs off 12 balls, captain Dhoni entrusted the ball to the tournament's leading wicket-taker, Jadeja. He removed Jos Buttler and Tim Bresnan in consecutive deliveries, dealing two more blows to England's chances.
Spin-duo take India home
Jadeja conceded only four runs in the over, putting England on the back foot. Jadeja, who was India's standout performer throughout the tournament, took a total of 12 wickets in five matches throughout the tournament.
Entering the last over, India still had 15 runs to defend. Dhoni turned to Ravichandran Ashwin, who had taken 2 wickets for 6 runs in his previous three overs. The over began with a boundary off the second ball, followed by a single off the third ball.
The fourth and fifth balls resulted in 2 runs each. With England needing 6 runs off the final ball, left-handed James Tredwell faced Ashwin. Ashwin bowled a good length delivery on the off stump, and Tredwell swung hard but missed the ball.
No runs were scored, and the Indian team erupted in celebration. Dhoni danced with joy behind the wicket, while vice-captain Kohli uprooted the stumps, marking India's victory in the Champions Trophy.
Drought since 2013
Unfortunately, the Champions Trophy triumph in 2013 would prove to be India's last victory in an ICC tournament. In the subsequent years, India participated in three ICC tournaments under Dhoni's captaincy, followed by four under Virat Kohli's leadership, and two under Rohit Sharma's guidance. Although the team reached the knockout stage on eight occasions and made it to the finals four times, they could not claim the coveted trophy.
Looking ahead, the ICC ODI World Cup is scheduled to take place in India after a span of four months. Despite being the host nation and considered a favorite, the prospects of winning the trophy appear less promising compared to previous tournaments.
