#10YearChallenge: How the face of Indian cricket has changed in the last 10 years
The social media is currently going berserk with the #10YearChallenge. The recent obsession in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are posting a profile picture of 10 years ago along with the current picture followed by some slogans to suit the occasion.
In a way, it is a positive move to remind a person as to how well he has travelled in the last 10 years in spite of the challenges associated with one’s life. The act also suggests that in the past 10 years how admirably a person has become wiser by experience rather than age.
As in life, in cricket too, there has been a lot of evolution in the last 10 years. In the last 10 years, things have changed a lot for good in cricket as a whole and more particularly in Indian cricket.
Let us evaluate the #10YearChallenge in Indian cricket comparing 2009 with 2019 and appraise the transition that has taken place in Indian cricket and the cricketers in the last 10 years.
Before going into the exact evolution that has taken place in Indian cricket, it would be appropriate to revisit India’s triumphs in those 10 years which led to the evolution.
A brief summary of India’s triumphs in the last 10 years
The start of 2009 and the emergence of MS Dhoni as the undisputed leader
The Indian team led by MS Dhoni was at its transitional phase at the beginning of 2009 after the retirement of stalwarts like Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. With the retirement of these leaders, Dhoni emerged as the new leader of this team. Dhoni had the Midas touch as Captain as everything he touched turned into gold.
In his first 12 Test series as Test captain, Dhoni had an unbeaten record of having won 9 series and drawn 3. Dhoni was the undisputed king in his first 3 years as captain. It all culminated into a World Cup win for India after 28 years.
The amazing win in 2011 World Cup
India’s World Cup win in 2011 at home was the biggest triumph for India in the last 10 years. India was the deserving winner as they remained unbeaten in the entire tournament except a last over loss against South Africa.
The World Cup win after 28 years has taken Indian cricket to a different level. The World Cup win was followed by the triumph in the Champions Trophy in 2013.
First Test series win in Australia
Under Virat Kohli, India made history by registering their first Test series win in Australia in 70 years. India too won their first bilateral ODI series against Australia in Australia this year.
King Kohli on a record-breaking spree
In the last 10 years, Kohli has broken all records in all formats of the game. He was the quickest to reach 10,000 ODI runs. He is now the World’s number one batsman in all formats of the game.
ICC Rankings
In ICC Rankings, the current Indian team is ranked number 1 in Test cricket and number 2 in ODI and T20 cricket.