5 of the most heartbreaking losses for the Indian Cricket Team
When the West Indies posted a mammoth 245-6 in the first T20 of the bilateral series in the USA, our hopes shattered. But when India ‘almost’ chased it down, two needed off the last ball, with the world’s best finisher fluffing his lines, our hearts shattered. It wasn’t Dhoni’s day, neither Team India’s. The solitary run defeat in the inaugural match of the bilateral series sent shock waves from across the seas.
A few decades back, some of you reading this were not even born when Javed Miandad hit a six off Chetan Sharma on the last ball of the Sharjah Cup in 1986. But only a written report of Pakistan crushing India in a last-ball climax is more than enough to pinch you. This is what cricket does – it breaks hearts.
Not that we want to put you through Team India’s most heartbreaking losses once again, but here’s just a quick recap.
#5 Group match – ICC World Cup, 2007
The hurtful memories of this match are yet to ebb. The then Indian team boasted of the biggest names in international cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid among others.
Bowling first, Bangladesh bowled out India for a mediocre 191 before going on to chase it down comfortably, thanks to the amazing performance of some new young faces, one of them being Mushfiqur Rahim. The only bright spot for India was Sourav Ganguly’s half-century in a game that was marred by sloppy fielding, poor shots, and below average bowling.
It was a game between Bangladeshi youngsters and international legends. The underdogs overshadowed India with their tremendous display of grit. Team India was knocked out of the World Cup eventually before the knockout stages, which signified another quadrennial wait to relive 1983.