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#OTD in 2013: When MS Dhoni-led India Lifted ICC Champions Trophy Title 

image-lj87odcqMS Dhoni-led India lift the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 [Source: Twitter]


On this day, exactly 10 years ago, India won their last International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy as MS Dhoni and his band of boys triumphed over hosts England in a nail-biting thriller to clinch the Champions Trophy 2013 title. 

India, who were undoubtedly the best side in the tournament, came into the final unbeaten, while England had to work hard for their place in the epic conclusion at Edgbaston in Birmingham. With incessant rain around, the 50-overs encounter was truncated into a T20I, as ICC did not have the provision of a reserve day for the competition.

Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja help India meander to 127

Put into bat, India started off poorly losing Rohit Sharma for nine. Mr.ICC Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli stood strong in front of raging England bowlers, who has crowd support and were helped by cloudy conditions.

Ravi Bopara broke Dhawan's resistance for 31, and India suffered a horrible collapse. Dinesh Karthik, experienced Suresh Raina, and skipper Dhoni managed just single-digit scores as Kohli looked on from the other end.

In a display of explosive batting prowess, all-rounder Ravindra Jajeda took charge and went hammer-and-tongs on the opponents in his 47-run stand with Kohli. 

The former India captain departed after a well-made 43 off 34 off his arch-nemesis James Anderson. 

Jadeja (33*) ended up hitting some hefty blows in the end as India meandered up scoring 127 for 7 with Bopara taking three wickets. 

Dhoni outwits England and India cliches the coveted title

Unfazed by the score or the occasion, India came hard at England's batters, with Umesh Yadav picking up skipper Alastair Cook's wicket for 2. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott did manage to conjure a small stand but were outdone by Dhoni's smartness.

Ravichandran Ashwin came on the fifth over and produced an instant result claiming Troot for 20, and then getting the better off Joe Root in the seventh over, who had made just 7.

Not to be left behind, Jadeja had Bell stumped by Dhoni for 13, and England were in deep trouble on 46 for 4. Eoin Morgan and Bopara played out Indian spinners initially and then started to up the ante, adding 64 runs for the fifth wicket.

Ishant Sharma's magical 18th over, brought India back in the hunt, as he got back-to-back wickets of Morgan (33) and Bopara (30).  

Dhoni backed Jadeja and Ashwin to bowl the final two overs, as the track seemed more like an Indian wicket than an English.

Jadeja got the dangerous Jos Buttler for nought and gave just four runs in the penultimate over, leaving Ashwin with 14 runs to defend. 

The off-spinner ended up giving nine runs in five balls, as England needed six to win off the final ball with James Tredwell on strike.

In conventional off-spinner fashion, Ashwin invited Tredwell to play on the rise and ended up getting beaten by turn, with the crowd erupting in joy as India beat England by five runs, and clinched the ICC Champions Trophy title as sole-winners for the first time. 

This win cemented Dhoni's place in history books, as the only men's captain to win all three major ICC titles, having won the T20 World Cup in 2007, and ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.

Since then India's wait for an ICC trophy in their cabinet continues. With CWC 2023 in sight, India will hope to end their 10-year drought, and provide fans and former players to rejoice and make newer memories.