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The Indian cricket team has scaled many heights over the past few years but despite being such a formidable side, they have failed to win an ICC crown over the past 10 years and as far as the World Cup is concerned, the 'Men in Blue' have not been able to win it since the past 12 years.
The last time they won it was way back in 2011, when it was held in India and the last time they bagged an ICC title was way back in 2013, when they won the Champions Trophy in England. The very next year, after the 2011 World Cup the ICC T20 World Cup was played in 2012 in Sri Lanka, where, under the same leadership, the Men in Blue failed to make it to the semi-final. The inaugural T20 World Champions were knocked out in the group stages. A year after the ICC Champions Trophy victory, MS Dhoni-led India went to Bangladesh to play the ICC T20 World Cup 2014. Team India was unbeaten en route to their journey to the final, beating arch-rivals Pakistan, West Indies, hosts Bangladesh and Australia in the group stage. In the semi-final, India comfortably defeated South Africa and reached the ICC T20 World Cup final for the second time after the inaugural edition in 2007. But unfortunately, in the final at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka, they lost Sri Lanka by six wickets, shattering more than a billion dreams. Next year came the ICC ODI World Cup 2015, where India went as a defending champion in the 50-over format. India had a brilliant run throughout the group stage, beating arch-rivals Pakistan, South Africa, UAE, West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe to top the pool with 12 points. In the quarterfinal, India defeated Bangladesh by 109 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to enter the semifinal. But in the semifinal at the Sydney Cricket Ground, they lost to eventual champions Australia by 95 runs. India's World Cup crown went back to Australia. In 2016, India had yet another opportunity to lift an ICC Trophy as the T20 World Cup was being played on home soil, like in 2011. India had a poor start to their campaign, losing to New Zealand in their opening match but after that, they beat Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the group stage and defeated Australia in the quarterfinal to face the West Indies in the semifinal at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. But the Caribbean Islanders spoiled India's plan, beating the hosts by seven wickets. They also went on to win the T20 World Cup, becoming the first team in history to do so for the second time. In the beginning of 2017, MS Dhoni passed on the captaincy baton to Virat Kohli and the first challenge came to defend the ICC Champions Trophy being played in England. Team India made a winning start, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in their opener. India lost their next match to Sri Lanka but after that, they defeated South Africa in a crucial group stage encounter to reach the semifinals, where they defeated Bangladesh comprehensively by 9 wickets to enter the final. In the final match, India once again was at loggerheads with Pakistan but this time they were on the receiving end, losing the final match by 180 runs at the Oval in London as India lost their Champions Trophy crown too, like the 50-over World Cup. In 2019, India was once again in England to play the ICC World Cup 2019, where India had a stupendous run, losing only one match out of the nine played to England and one against New Zealand, which ended in a no result due to rain, beating teams like South Africa, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, defending champion Australia and Afghanistan. But once again, at the knockout stage, India failed to deliver, losing to New Zealand in a rain-affected match by 18 runs at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. England went on to win the ODI World Cup for the very first time. In 2021, India made it to the ICC World Test Championship 2021 final after finishing on top of the WTC Table 2019-2021 with a percentage of 72.2. India faced New Zealand in the final, where they lost the match by eight wickets at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. In 2021, India was the host of the T20 World Cup, the first ICC event to be hosted in India after the COVID-19 pandemic but BCCI was forced to hold it in the UAE due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in India. India had the worst possible start to their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign losing their first match to Pakistan and India's unbeaten record in the World Cup against the traditional arch-rivals of 12 matches including both the T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup. India lost their next match in the WC too. Losing to New Zealand by 8 wickets. India went on to beat Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia in the other group-stage matches but it wasn't enough to take them to the semifinal stage. Australia went on to clinch the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 winning the T20 title for the first time. In 2022 India had yet another opportunity to lift an ICC title as the T20 World Cup which Australia was supposed to host in 2020 got shifted to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India started off their World Cup campaign with a win over Pakistan by four wickets at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground avenging the 2021 T20 World Cup defeat. India topped the group by beating other teams like the Netherlands, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh except for the match against South Africa in Perth which they lost by five wickets. With four wins in five group stage games, India faced eventual champions England in the semifinal at Adelaide and ended up losing the match in a humiliating manner by 10 wickets, shattering the World Cup dream. England became the champions in both white-ball formats (ODI and T20I). In 2023, the ODI World Cup was hosted by India after 12 years. This time, India was the sole host, unlike in 1987, 1996, and 2011, when other Asian countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were also involved. India had the best run in the World Cup ever, winning all the matches en route to the semifinal. The Rohit Sharma-led side beat Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, defending champions England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Netherlands to top the points table and went on to face the Kiwis in the semifinal. In the semifinal, India registered yet another comprehensive victory, with Virat Kohli breaking Sachin Tendulkar's 20-year-old record of most runs in an ODI World Cup of 673 runs and also breaking his record for most tons in one-day matches. Mohammed Shami too ended with the best figures by an Indian in ODIs, with figures of 7 for 57. India went on to face Australia in the final at the world's biggest cricket stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. But despite home conditions and fans heavily numbered in their favour, they ended up on the losing side and the wait for an ICC trophy continued. Virat Kohli ended up with the 'Player of the Tournament' award, scoring 765 runs, while Mohammed Shami had the most wickets, bagging 24. But the World Cup still eluded the Indian team and the wait continues. The fans will hope that it ends in the year 2024, with the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 being played in the West Indies and USA starting on June 4, 2024. A new year will come as a new opportunity for the 'Men in Blue' to end their ICC trophy drought. (ANI)
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