Best XI from the ODI World Cup winning Indian squads

Indian teams have won the Cricket World Cup twice in 1983 and 2011 under the leadership of Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni respectively. Both the captains are considered legends now as the latter is still playing the game but is not leading the team anymore. He passed the baton to Virat Kohli earlier this year and decided to contribute as a player. Kapil was exceptional during India’s least expected triumph in 1983 when they defended 183 against the likes Clive Lloyd and his men who were defending champions. In the 20th century, ODI cricket was played in a 60-over per innings format and the fact that Indian cricket was re-born after creating history still thrills any die-hard fan. But the glory eluded the Men in Blue for next 28 years until 2011 when Dhoni launched a magnificent six over long-off in style and brought the cup back to the country at the very own Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, Sourav Ganguly had led the Indian team to the final in 2003 but Australia got better of them when it mattered the most. There were many heroes in both the Indian squads who made the country proud by winning the pinnacle event. A stupendous knock of 175 from Kapil against Zimbabwe is still the talk of the town when it comes to one of the best comebacks in cricket. Also, the fighting knock of Gautam Gambhir in the final against Sri Lanka is rated as one of the best innings of his career. Many players also played a crucial role when it came to seizing the key moments during some nail-biting contests. So we have combined the best XI from both the squads. Though some of the big names are missing, those who feature will always be remembered in Indian cricket history. Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo by Getty Images) The master of the game, Sachin Tendulkar, who served Indian cricket for almost 24 years of his life, would walk into any side anytime in the history of the game. His journey between the 22-yards has been exceptional and is the lone player to complete a century of centuries across formats. The little man from Mumbai lived the dream and achieved it with some pleasant performances in the tournament. He was excellent during the winning spree in World Cup 2011 and had scripted a couple of wins on his own. He amassed 482 runs in the event in 9 matches with an amazing average of 53.55 and also scored two centuries along with the same number of half-centuries. Gautam Gambhir Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir. (Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/GettyImages) The man of the match of the finals for India, Gautam Gambhir, would open with the Master Blaster in this team. He played the innings of his life in the final after the early wickets of Virender Sehwag and Sachin and ended up scoring 97 runs which allowed them to hunt the total posted by Sri Lanka. The Delhi lad scored 393 in nine attempts at an average of close to 44 and was the second highest run-getter for his team. He also was the epitome of consistency by scoring as many as four half-centuries. Moreover, his partnership first with Virat Kohli and then with Dhoni after early wickets which had rocked India in a huge chase was fantastic. His calm and composure allowed the team to script history on the big night. Yashpal Sharma Yashpal Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter) Yashpal Sharma would come in one down and will play as the specialist batsman in this team. He would be a perfect foil to the openers and guide the side throughout. Yashpal was one batsman who soaked in all the pressure during the whole tournament in 1983 and made the dream come true. He was the best batsman for the team at number 4 as he had scored 240 runs in 8 games at an average of 34.28, 89 being his highest score. Yashpal was the ideal man for a crisis as he could blunt the edge of any attack with solid defence. Though he was not amongst the attractive batsmen none could argue about the value he adds to the side. His innovative batting made him a unique player and his running between the wickets was exceptional given the way cricket was played in those days. Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Yuvraj Singh, the hero of 2011 World Cup, will be the ideal player at 4 who can consolidate as well as attack the bowlers according to the situation. The player who rediscovered himself in the tournament and was Man of the Series for his contribution to the team across all the games. He emerged as a surprise package with the ball scalping 15 wickets at an average of just 25.31; 5/31 being his best figures. His batting skills were never questioned and he soared his way to 362 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 90.50 finishing the games four times in 8 knocks. The Punjab batsman also scored a match-winning century in the last league game against West Indies and barring a blip in the semi-final, he was the best player of the team. Sandeep Patil Sandeep Patil. (Photo Source: Twitter) Sandeep Patil will be the man who will lead the proceedings at number 5 in this star-studded line-up. He was the best when it came to scoring some quick runs in the backend of the innings. During the 60-over World Cup in one of the glorious years in Indian cricket, he was the man who showed some urgency in the death overs and added crucial runs during the impressive run of the Kapil Dev led side. The middle-order batsman scored his runs at a strike rate of 90 which was one of the best in the tournament. He also amassed 216 runs in 8 outings which included a couple of half-centuries at an average of 30.85. Though the statistics are not appealing enough, his cameos for the Indian team worked the most in important games. MS Dhoni (Vice-Captain) MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter) The most successful skipper in Indian cricket history, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will be the vice-captain and also the wicket0keeper of this dream team. He achieved everything when he was at the helm and is still working his magic in the middle whenever his team is in trouble. His memorable knock of 91* from just 78 deliveries is still fresh in the minds of the fans which scripted a famous win and completed the dream of the Sachin who always chased the World Cup. His transformation from the aggressive player to the best finisher in the world has been superb. Though he is not at his usual best at present, Dhoni remains the vital cog in the line-up with the bat. His quick work behind the stumps has got better with time like ‘old wine’. The lightning stumpings are a part and parcel of his life which he effects in almost every game. The boy from Ranchi has mastered the art of reading the game and is always providing the insights to the bowlers, especially spinners. Kapil Dev (Captain) Kapil Dev, India. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images) Here comes the leader of the pack and the best all-rounder Indian cricket has ever produced, the legendary Kapil Dev. He was the captain of the side which won the maiden trophy the pinnacle event in the ODI cricket. The swashbuckling batsman was the architect of the triumph as his unbeaten 175-run knock had saved India from being humiliated by Zimbabwe. If not for his innings, India would have been knocked out of the World Cup and the Indian cricket would have never ignited like it did after winning. He inspired the team by his consistent performances with both bat and ball during the tournament. With the bat, he amassed 303 runs at an average of 60.60 to go with the strike rate of 108.99. He also wrecked havoc with the ball in the opposition camp by picking 12 wickets at an average of 20.41. He was also brilliant in the field and held on to seven catches, one of them was of Clive Lloyd which he took by stunningly running behind and sealed the final for his team. Harbhajan Singh Harbhajan Singh. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The veteran off-spinner who literally owned the wickets of some of the best batsmen in the game, Harbhajan Singh makes cut into the side as the lone specialist spinner. His ability to score runs has also helped the team one more than one occasion. However, his control over the ball while spinning was excellent during his heydeys and he spun a web around the opposition players. The Punjab cricketer was the crucial part of India’s historic campaign in 2011. Bhajji played all the games of the tournament and was the best bowler of the team as far as the economy is concerned. He perfectly did the job of keeping the run-rate in check of the opponents in the middle overs which increased the pressure and also led to the wickets at the other end. He himself scalped nine wickets and was miserly conceding runs at an economy of 4.48 per over. In the final, he was at his best as he sent back one of the best players of Sri Lanka Tillakaratne Dilshan back into the hut. Zaheer Khan (© INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images) Zaheer Khan, undoubtedly the best bowler of this generation, leads the scary pace attack of this unbeatable team. He foxed many batsmen in his career as he used to dismiss the left-handers day in day out. The pacer led the bowling attack during the successful run of the Men in Blue and did wonders to the team’s fortunes. He was exceptional with his variations as he discovered some of the unplayable deliveries to the best in the business. During the World Cup, he was the best bowler of the tournament with 21 wickets in 9 matches at an impressive average of 18.76 and the economy of 4.83. He bowled in power plays for the team and also at the death. Whenever the team needed wickets, he put his hand up and manufactured wickets to bring the team back in the game. On the night of the final, he snaffled Upul Tharanga with a brilliant inswinging delivery and also bowled 3 maidens in the big game. Roger Binny Roger Binny. (Photo Source: Twitter) The medium pace bowler from Karnataka, Roger Binny, will share the new ball with Zaheer and rattle the batting line-up of the opposite team. He was the master of bowling with discipline and always bowled within the stumps which never allowed the batsmen to free their arms. He did the same during the Indian spree under Kapil and kept the legendary batsmen quite. He was also the best bowler for India which eventually won the Cup at the home of Cricket. Roger scalped 18 wickets in 8 matches and also bowled nine maidens which proved his ability to keep the runs under control. While defending the paltry total of 183 on a historic day, he was even more wily and returned with the figures of 10-1-23-1. The solitary wicket he picked was the game-changing one as he had foxed Clive Lloyd to end the hopes of the Caribbean side. Madan Lal Madan Lal. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The fourth cricketer from Punjab of this team, Madan Lal completes this exuberant line-up and also sums up the legendary bowling attack. For many years, one of the leading utility players in the country, he proved his value to the side both with his courageous middle-order batting and his nippy medium-pace bowling. Madan was one of the heroes of the 1983 World Cup-winning side and earned his name by his spell of three quick wickets that broke the back of the West Indies batting in the final. He picked 3 wickets for just 31 runs in his quota of 12 overs and made life difficult for the defending champions. During the whole tournament, he scalped 17 wickets at an even better average compared to others (16.76). He contributed with the bat as well as he scored runs at an average of 34 and the vital knock of 17 runs lower down the order in a low-scoring final due to which India could post 183 after being 130/7 at one stage.

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Best XI from the ODI World Cup winning Indian squads

This team has an invincible look as it consists of some of the legends in the Indian cricket.

Sandeep Patil

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