3 best teams to have not won the ODI World Cup ft. India in 2023
India lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final to Australia after a dream run to the final that saw them winning ten matches in a row. It was their final to lose, but Pat Cummins' men played better cricket on the day and deservedly won the title.
This was the Kangaroos' sixth ODI World Cup triumph. In the 13 editions that have happened so far, many teams have performed exceedingly well throughout the tournament only to falter at the finish line in the final.
In this article, we will look at the three best teams to have not won the World Cup in a particular edition.
#1 India - 2023 ODI World Cup
India hosted the recently concluded World Cup and were favourites to win the tournament. Be it Rohit Sharma's quick starts, Virat Kohli's steady knocks or Mohammad Shami's wicket-taking ability, all the members were contributing to the team's success.
The Men in Blue finished the round-robin stage at the top of the table, winning all nine games. They also registered comprehensive wins over Australia, England and South Africa. Although New Zealand played well in the semi-final, Rohit Sharma's men won by 70 runs.
India marched into the final with an all-win record. They had the top two run-scorers and the leading wicket-taker in their armory. However, the law of averages caught up with them and they lost to Australia in the summit clash.
#2 South Africa - 1999 ODI World Cup
It is hard to pick a team in this list for an edition that was won by the superior Australian side of the late 1990s and 2000s. However, South Africa had a great chance in the 1999 ODI World Cup and were playing impressive cricket in the lead-up to the tournament.
They had won the 1998 Champions Trophy as well as the gold medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games. In Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis, they had two of the best white-ball all-rounders. Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock were the best pace bowling pair in world cricket.
They won four out of five games in Group A, before beating Pakistan and New Zealand in the Super Sixes. They were knocked out by Australia in the semi-finals with the scores famously tied at 213. The Proteas lost the game from a winning position and are still in search of their maiden World Cup trophy.
#3 West Indies - 1983 ODI World Cup
India's triumph in the 1983 ODI World Cup was great for the country as it brought about a cultural shift in the cricketing scene. However, they were the underdogs in the tournament and shocked the world by beating the mighty West Indies in the final.
The West Indies had won the previous two World Cups and were the overwhelming favorites. They boasted of world class players such as Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner.
They topped Group B with five wins out of six and cruised to the final by beating Pakistan in the semi-finals by eight wickets. India, the only side that had beaten the West Indies in the tournament, defeated them in the final.
The West Indies team of 1983 were a cricketing powerhouse and expected to win easily but were outplayed by India in the final.