Then, there was a stretch when the Australians took over as leaders to win four World Cup finals, including three on the trot. It was Sri Lanka who beat Australia in the final in Lahore in 1996 whereas India could not grab the opportunity in 2003 and were outplayed in the final at Wanderers.
Sourav Ganguly's men may not have won that final, but they certainly made their brash younger teammates realise that India can be a cricketing superpower sooner rather than later as they had already started beating international teams in their own backyards.
The Indians then and there believed that the day was not far when they will regain the World Cup. The youngsters had to wait eight more years to realise the dream Ganguly's side passed on to them. Sachin Tendulkar, who played in three World Cups before 2003 and one after that, was still around to anchor the team.
Once they got to the top of the Test pyramid, it was a matter of time before India dominated One-day cricket. They sent out a clear message by winning the World Twenty20 Championship in its inaugural year in 2007. A new breed of smart cricketers joined the one-day flock and they all swear by coach Gary Kirsten, who developed them into world- beaters with a committed support staff doing their bit.
The likes of Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Munaf Patel and Yusuf Pathan have emerged as the future of Indian cricket. Most of the present squad will form the core side four years from now in the next World Cup in Australia-New Zealand.
India though had to work really hard to be true World champions. The cricket world refused to accept their 1983 Lord's triumph as a true indicator of their rise as the sport's emerging power. For that to happen, first the World Cup had to be made truly global by taking it out of England, which hosted the first three editions as a birthright.
From an old boys association the International Cricket Conference, as the International Council (ICC) was then known, it was forced to democratiase its functioning, dismantling the rigid autocratic power structure.
The first World Cup outside England came to the Indian subcontinent, thanks to a determined president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) N.K.P. Salve, who forced the ICC to rotate the World Cup among its member nations.
India and Pakistan hosted the 1987 World Cup and nine years later it came back to the subcontinent by right, winning the majority vote. India had to wait for a third World Cup in the subcontinent as it had become rotational. It is well-worth the wait, there is no better feeling than winning the World Cup in front of your frenzied supporters at home.
What's more, three sub-continetal teams entered the semifinals and the final was between joint hosts India and Sri Lanka. The third Asian team, Bangladesh, came close to making the quarterfinals.
Spare a thought for Pakistan, which was stripped of the co-host status at a time when the country and its cricket were hurtling down an abyss for reasons all too well known. Their cricketers desperately wanted to showcase their immense cricket talent and how well they did!
Coming to the 2011 World Cup as no-hopers, they played stupendous cricket to set up a semifinal clash with India and lost a well-fought match watched by the prime ministers of the two countries. For the first time, three Asian teams were in the semis and with a little luck another team from the subcontinent Bangladesh, too, could have barged into the quarterfinals as the fourth team from India's group.
Every Indian with a speck of interest in cricket said 'the Cup is ours' even before the World Cup got under way February 19. Midway through, those with gambling instincts developed cold feet and started looking elsewhere to put money on. All because the team has neither steamrollered the weaker sides in the group nor has come up with any extraordinary performance against the big guns.
Only one person knew exactly what the Indian team was doing on the field and he revealed his mind only after the final. That is India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was clear in his mind that every player in the squad must get an opportunity to get into the playing eleven, assuming the conditions suited his game. He wanted everyone to gain the confidence of playing in a World Cup before the business end of the tournament.
He backed his decisions with explanation that may not have tallied with their logic and arguments. Ultimately, he publicly stated there was a method in whatever he or his players did over six weeks. He has a way of getting even with critics with his seeming sense of humour when he said he had to come up with a big score and see the team crossed the line so that he is not pilloried for some of his decisions like team selection or decisions on and off the field.
Dhoni can afford to say anything now. After winning the Twenty20 World Championship, he had said he wanted players who would stand in front of a moving truck for him. Now he has made his teammates feel so strong that they might mow the opposition down!
The captain of a team can say anything after beating Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the sudden death rounds, tying with Ashes champions and losing narrowly with the best team in the tournament - South Africa. And to win the Cup as only the third team chasing in 10 editions is a terrific achievement.
Sourav Ganguly's men may not have won that final, but they certainly made their brash younger teammates realise that India can be a cricketing superpower sooner rather than later as they had already started beating international teams in their own backyards.
The Indians then and there believed that the day was not far when they will regain the World Cup. The youngsters had to wait eight more years to realise the dream Ganguly's side passed on to them. Sachin Tendulkar, who played in three World Cups before 2003 and one after that, was still around to anchor the team.
Once they got to the top of the Test pyramid, it was a matter of time before India dominated One-day cricket. They sent out a clear message by winning the World Twenty20 Championship in its inaugural year in 2007. A new breed of smart cricketers joined the one-day flock and they all swear by coach Gary Kirsten, who developed them into world- beaters with a committed support staff doing their bit.
The likes of Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Munaf Patel and Yusuf Pathan have emerged as the future of Indian cricket. Most of the present squad will form the core side four years from now in the next World Cup in Australia-New Zealand.
India though had to work really hard to be true World champions. The cricket world refused to accept their 1983 Lord's triumph as a true indicator of their rise as the sport's emerging power. For that to happen, first the World Cup had to be made truly global by taking it out of England, which hosted the first three editions as a birthright.
From an old boys association the International Cricket Conference, as the International Council (ICC) was then known, it was forced to democratiase its functioning, dismantling the rigid autocratic power structure.
The first World Cup outside England came to the Indian subcontinent, thanks to a determined president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) N.K.P. Salve, who forced the ICC to rotate the World Cup among its member nations.
India and Pakistan hosted the 1987 World Cup and nine years later it came back to the subcontinent by right, winning the majority vote. India had to wait for a third World Cup in the subcontinent as it had become rotational. It is well-worth the wait, there is no better feeling than winning the World Cup in front of your frenzied supporters at home.
What's more, three sub-continetal teams entered the semifinals and the final was between joint hosts India and Sri Lanka. The third Asian team, Bangladesh, came close to making the quarterfinals.
Spare a thought for Pakistan, which was stripped of the co-host status at a time when the country and its cricket were hurtling down an abyss for reasons all too well known. Their cricketers desperately wanted to showcase their immense cricket talent and how well they did!
Coming to the 2011 World Cup as no-hopers, they played stupendous cricket to set up a semifinal clash with India and lost a well-fought match watched by the prime ministers of the two countries. For the first time, three Asian teams were in the semis and with a little luck another team from the subcontinent Bangladesh, too, could have barged into the quarterfinals as the fourth team from India's group.
Every Indian with a speck of interest in cricket said 'the Cup is ours' even before the World Cup got under way February 19. Midway through, those with gambling instincts developed cold feet and started looking elsewhere to put money on. All because the team has neither steamrollered the weaker sides in the group nor has come up with any extraordinary performance against the big guns.
Only one person knew exactly what the Indian team was doing on the field and he revealed his mind only after the final. That is India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was clear in his mind that every player in the squad must get an opportunity to get into the playing eleven, assuming the conditions suited his game. He wanted everyone to gain the confidence of playing in a World Cup before the business end of the tournament.
He backed his decisions with explanation that may not have tallied with their logic and arguments. Ultimately, he publicly stated there was a method in whatever he or his players did over six weeks. He has a way of getting even with critics with his seeming sense of humour when he said he had to come up with a big score and see the team crossed the line so that he is not pilloried for some of his decisions like team selection or decisions on and off the field.
Dhoni can afford to say anything now. After winning the Twenty20 World Championship, he had said he wanted players who would stand in front of a moving truck for him. Now he has made his teammates feel so strong that they might mow the opposition down!
The captain of a team can say anything after beating Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the sudden death rounds, tying with Ashes champions and losing narrowly with the best team in the tournament - South Africa. And to win the Cup as only the third team chasing in 10 editions is a terrific achievement.
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