Move FM Australian News

New Delhi [India], August 14 (ANI): India’s cricketing journey post-independence is a saga of triumph! From iconic World Cup wins to unforgettable Test series victories, the nation’s passion for cricket shines.

India took 25 Tests to register their first victory after gaining Independence. India defeated England at Chepauk back in 1952, followed by their maiden Test series victory against Pakistan in the same year. Pakistan won the second Test in Lucknow, while India won the first and third Tests. The final two Tests of the series ended in draws.

In the 1967-68 tour of New Zealand, India’s men’s cricket team achieved its first-ever Test series win outside the subcontinent. The four-match series concluded with India winning 3-1.

Iconic series wins in West Indies and England back-to-back under Ajit Wadekar in 1971: Ajit Wadekar’s team first defeated West Indies 1-0 in a five-game series in the Caribbean. After that, India overcame Ray Illingworth’s formidable English team that had won the Ashes with a score of 1-0 in a three-game test series.

The first World Cup victory for India in its cricket history stands out among all other accomplishments. In 1983, at Lord’s, Kapil Dev’s men defeated the most powerful team of that time, the West Indies, by 43 runs to win the World Cup.

India’s rise as an Asian cricket power with the inaugural Asia Cup win in 1984. India also co-hosted the Cricket World Cup 1987.

On March 7, 1987, India’s legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar made history by being the first batsman in Test cricket to reach 10,000 runs in his 124th game, against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.

Under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly, India won one of the most famous Test matches against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in March 2001. The series was turned around by Rahul Dravid’s 180 and VVS Laxman’s 281. Despite all obstacles, India managed to win in Kolkata before orchestrating another triumph in Chennai with a nail-biting conclusion to take the series 2-1. In the longest format, this was India’s first win against Australia.

On July 13, 2002, India registered a famous victory over England in the Triangular NatWest Series. India chased down 326/8 with 3 balls to spare at Lords. Fans to date still remember Sourav Ganguly’s iconic shirt-waving celebration at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

In 2004, Virender Sehwag became the first Indian cricketer to ever smash a triple hundred in Test matches. Sehwag made this accomplishment during the first match of the Test series against rivals Pakistan, which took place at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

With triple ICC championships from the 2007 T20 WC to the 2013 CT, MS Dhoni is the only captain to have won all three major ICC white-ball competitions: the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. He is the only captain in limited-overs cricket to have won this ‘triple crown’ of ICC awards under his leadership.

In 2007, BCCI unveiled the Indian Premier League (IPL). The concept’s audacity lies in its franchise-based T20 league, which involves cities instead of states or provinces and features the world’s top players. IPL currently is the biggest franchise-based league across the globe.

With a double century in One Day International (ODI) cricket on February 24, 2010, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar became the first male cricketer to accomplish this feat. In a second ODI match in Gwalior, he accomplished this feat against South Africa. With 25 fours and three sixes off 147 balls, Tendulkar finished unbeaten on 200 runs.

In 2012, Tendulkar became the first batsman to hit 100 centuries in international cricket. The Master Blaster accomplished the feat against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2012.

Propelled by Rohit Sharma’s magnificent double-century in 2014, India marched to a 153-run win in Kolkata against Sri Lanka. While Eden Gardens celebrated 150 years, Rohit lit up the stadium with a well-paced 264 off 173 to make the occasion memorable, smashing the highest-ever ODI score.

Veteran batter Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to lead his team to a Test series win in Australia, downing them 2-1 in 2018-19, it was a series win well deserved and India also became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia.

After winning the CT finals in 2013 against England, India had an ICC trophy drought of 11 years, which was finally broken by the Men in Blue under the leadership of Rohit Sharma when they won the T20 World Cup in 2024, defeating South Africa in the final.

India also dominated in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as they won back-to-back white ball titles this time by defeating the Kiwis in the CT final. India won both titles without losing a single match throughout the tournament.

India’s unbroken streak of home victories in Test series between 2013 and 2024: The Indian cricket team has the most consecutive Test series wins at home. Between February 2013 and October 2024, the Indians were victorious in 18 straight Test series played on their turf.

After the Rohit Sharma-led squad lost the first two games of a three-match series against New Zealand in India in October 2024, India’s amazing run came to an end. (ANI)