Today marks the 10th anniversary of India’s glorious Champions Trophy triumph led by M.S. Dhoni, also marking their last victory in an ICC event. In a rain-affected match in Birmingham, India put up a challenging total of 129/7 in 20 overs, with Virat Kohli’s 43 and Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 33 being notable contributions. England’s chase faltered at 46/4, but Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara fought back with a 64-run partnership. However, Ishant Sharma’s consecutive breakthroughs turned the game in India’s favor. R. Ashwin’s brilliant final over, conceding just nine runs, sealed India’s maiden Champions Trophy win. Jadeja, with 2/24 and his crucial unbeaten knock, was awarded the player of the match, while Dhawan received the player of the series accolade.
This victory made Dhoni the first captain to secure all three ICC trophies—T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, and the Champions Trophy. Unfortunately, since then, India has only reached one final in an ICC white-ball event—the 2017 Champions Trophy, where they finished as runners-up to Pakistan. They also ended as runners-up in both editions of the World Test Championship in 2021 and earlier this month.
Looking ahead, the upcoming ODI World Cup scheduled for October-November, hosted by India, presents the Men in Blue with an opportunity to break their trophy drought and claim victory on home soil.
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