Five lessons India learnt from the ICC Champions Trophy 2013

(L-R) Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja of India during ICC Champions Trophy Winners Photocall at the Birmingham City Council Building on June 24, 2013 in Birmingham, England. (Getty Images)

India have always played better with the tag of underdogs but the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 was different. They looked like world beaters from the first match they played on English soil. This kind of victory has an entirely different impact on the confidence of the players as not only did they win, they won convincingly. It infuses within each member of the team, and in the team culture, self-belief that translates into the virtue of psychological strength.

Observe the great West Indian side of the 70′s and 80′s, the Australian side under Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting and you will notice one standout factor in their campaigns of domination. You will discover that they were special because when they entered the ground as favourites, they lived up to it. That is what is meant by absolute domination.

This team must strive for nothing less than that. In MS Dhoni, India has a leader of great stature. He has every major ICC trophy on his resume now and he knows how to win. The nucleus of this team is formed by a number of young players, who can play for India for a long time if they continue to hone their skills.

As we saw with the 1983 World Cup victory, such events are not isolated moments of celebration but they inspire and create a generation that is hungry to replicate that success. India must realise that and continue to build.

Here is a list of five lessons India learnt from their Champions Trophy victory: