5 unnoticed coincidences between India's 2013 Champions Trophy and 2024 T20 World Cup wins
India's last two ICC trophy wins in men's cricket at the senior level are the Champions Trophy 2013 and the T20 World Cup 2024. MS Dhoni led the Men in Blue to the Champions Trophy title 11 years ago in the UK, while Rohit Sharma guided India to the T20 World Cup trophy on Saturday in Barbados.
Three players - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja - were common in both the squads. In 2013, India beat hosts England in a nail-biting final to win the tournament, while on Saturday, India prevailed over South Africa in an edge-of-the-seat thriller to secure the title.
Apart from common players and similar endings, here's a list of five unnoticed coincidences between India's Champions Trophy 2013 and T20 World Cup 2024 triumphs.
#1 India tried a new opening pair in the mega event
It's rare to see any team play with a new opening pair in an ICC event, but India did it in 2013 when Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan came out to open the batting in their Champions Trophy opener against South Africa. In the ODI before that, Gautam Gambhir had opened the innings with Rohit.
Similarly, in 2024, India used Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as openers at the T20 World Cup. Rohit and Virat had not opened an innings together for India since 2021. In the last T20I before the T20 World Cup, Rohit opened the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
#2 A specialist opener and a leg-spinner remained on the bench for the entire tournament
India kept specialist opener Murali Vijay and leg-spinner Amit Mishra on the bench for the entirety of the Champions Trophy 2013. MS Dhoni didn't change his playing XI in any of the five matches India played.
While Rohit Sharma made one change in T20 World Cup 2024 by bringing in left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav for fast bowler Mohammed Siraj in the Super 8s, he kept specialist opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on the bench for the entire tournament.
#3 India did not play any match in that format for more than 4 months
The Champions Trophy 2013 was played in June. The Indian team didn't play any ODIs that year after January 27. For almost five months, India didn't play any ODI match. Their first match of the Champions Trophy happened on June 6 against South Africa.
Similarly, in 2024, India played their last T20I before the T20 World Cup on January 17. India's first match of the 2024 T20 World Cup took place on June 5 against Ireland.
#4 Virat Kohli joins hands with a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder in the final
Virat Kohli was the top-scorer for India in the Champions Trophy 2013 and 2024 T20 WC finals. He scored 43 against England in 2013 and 76 against South Africa on Saturday.
Notably, India lost early wickets in both finals. In 2013, India were down to 66-5 when Kohli joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja to stitch up a 47-run sixth-wicket partnership, while in 2024, Kohli built a 68-run fourth-wicket stand with Axar Patel.
#5 Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper's scores in the final match of Champions Trophy 2013 and T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma scored two half-centuries in the 2013 Champions Trophy, but in the final, he lost his stumps to Stuart Broad after scoring nine. In the T20 WC 2024 Final, Sharma handed a catch to Heinrich Klaasen off Keshav Maharaj after scoring nine.
Meanwhile, India's wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant got out for a duck against Maharaj in the 2024 T20 WC final. In 2013, wicketkeeper MS Dhoni had got out for a duck off Ravi Bopara. Incidentally, both Bopara and Maharaj are of Indian origin, and both were the pick of the bowlers for India's opponents in the finals as well.