Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa has picked the five most defining moments of Indian cricket. Uthappa picked 2000 match-fixing scandal, 2001 Kolkata Test win against Australia, the 2007 T20 World Cup, and 2008 CB series win against Australia, the 2018 fast bowling revolution and the change in mindset after 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal loss against England.
Indian cricket was rocked when former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin was accused of match-fixing along with South African captain Hansie Cronje. Azharuddin then received a life ban from the BCCI.
The 2001 Kolkata Test is regarded as one of the biggest Test wins in Indian cricket folklore. After being asked to follow on by the mighty Australians, India registered a come-from-behind win, with VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh playing key roles.
India also won the CB series against Australia, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring runs in the first two finals against the hosts. The Men in Blue also won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
“I think the 2007 World Cup was a pivotal moment. I wouldn’t peg the IPL as 2007, because it happened in 2008. But those two years were pivotal. We lost the One-day World Cup but then won the T20 World Cup, followed by the inception of the IPL and the CB Series in 2008, which was also a pivotal moment, according to me. It brought about a belief that we can actually be a force to reckon with in Australia as well, and that belief began then,” Uthappa said on Royal Cricket show.
The former batter highlighted the bowling revolution under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav combined to make a potent fast bowling line-up for India in 2018.
Last but not least, Uthappa picked the change in mindset of the team following their ignominious loss against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The former skipper Rohit Sharma identified that they were too tentative in the big clash and since that loss, India has been playing fearlessly in the major tournaments.
“I think the loss was definitely pivotal. That woke the players up that things could not go on as they were going, and it had been a long time since we had won an ICC championship, and the pressure had mounted. Kudos to Rohit and Rahul Dravid for shifting the mindset,” he stated.
India would look to go all the way in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
