SK What if: Sourav Ganguly had led India to the 2003 World Cup win
Many a times we wonder, how life would be if we’d rewind a few moments, if not to change, then to relive it. Especially in the world of sports, there is always scope for certain dos and dont’s that would’ve changed the scenario. Discussions like these are frequent & everybody’s favourite at chai stalls, bars and cafes.
One such event that changed cricket for the Indian fans in a big way was the ICC World Cup 2003 - A match where India was vying for the prestigious title after 20 long years. It had our “Dream Team” in action, with darlings such as Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar all performing at the peak of their prowess. It was a team for generations.
So WHAT IF things would have concluded in the favor of the Indian side, what if Tendulkar would’ve gone ahead and helped the team as were the expectations, what if India stopped Ponting dead who went ahead to become the Man of the Match with an unbeatable 140 off 121 taking his team total to 359 at the loss of 2?
As Indian fans, we can only hope, we can only imagine, for after all, cricket is one sport we let our imaginations run wild.
Let’s take a look at a few such consequences of a hypothetical win at that point in time.
1. Australia ODI supremacy would not have started
The heydeys of the Australian Cricket team had already caught steam with the 1999 edition of the ICC World cup in their kitty. The consecutive win in 2003 gave the Australian cricketers the dominant position in the format and this confidence that helped them achieve a hat-trick, winning three back-to-back world cups, first time in the history of cricket. Had India won the 2003 winner’s title, the Aussie winning streak would be cut short, and more importantly their 20-year-old jinx would be broken.