Hyderabad: Apart from 1983 and 2011, it is the 2003 World Cup which holds a special place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans. It was only the second time India played the World Cup final in 20 years. Sourav Ganguly led India's inspiring show made the country believe that Men in Blue could win the World Cup. But that hope was dashed in the final when Australia defeated India by 125 runs to lift their third and second successive World Cup title.
However, since the Indian team of the new millennium was boasted of legendary cricketers who played a huge role in giving a facelift to Indian cricket, it was a pure joy for fans to see their favourite stars excelling against renowned oppositions.
The eighth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup held in Africa for the first time. It was jointly hosted by South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. 14 teams participated in the tournament, a first in World Cup history. Hosts South Africa once again fell perry to rain that forced them to make the first-round exit while Kenya dazzled throughout the tournament and became the first non-Test playing nation to qualify for the semifinals in the World Cup.
As far as India's performance is concerned they won 9 out of their 11 matches. They had only lost to the eventual champions, Australia, on two occasions.
Indian squad: Sourav Ganguly (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid (wk), Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra, Javagal Srinath, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Dinesh Mongia, Ajit Agarkar (reserve pacer), Sanjay Bangar (reserve player), Parthiv Patel (reserve wicket-keeper)
Group Stage
Disastrous start
India were coming to play the World Cup in the backdrop of a disastrous tour of New Zealand where they had suffered 2-0 Test series defeat and 5-2 in ODIs.
Nevertheless, the expectation was not high on the Indian team. They made a very slow start to their campaign. In the very first match, Netherlands bowled them out for paltry 204. Sachin Tendulkar was the only batsman who could score a half-century. Defending such a low total, however, Indian bowlers did a magnificent job. Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble picked up 4 wickets each as the Netherlands were bowled out for 136. India won the match by 68 runs.
In the second match, India suffered a huge loss to Australia. Winning the toss Ganguly decided to bat first. His decision proved wrong as Australia ran through the Indian batting line-up bowling them out for 125. Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie took 3 wickets apiece. Sachin top-scored for India, with 36.
Australia took just 22.2 overs to notch an easy win. They had lost just one wicket.
Gordon effect
The debacle against Australia drew scathing criticism from the Indian press and enraged fans back home who attacked cricketers' residences. At this juncture, the Indian team management hired Dr Sandy Gordon, an Australian sports psychologist, to revive India's World Cup campaign.
Gordon's presence rejuvenated Indian players who brought their lagging World Cup campaign back on track. In their third outing against Zimbabwe at Harare, India notched up an easy win. Opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar (81) and Virender Sehwag (36) gave India a superb start piling on 99 in 17 overs. Later Rahul Dravid's 47 took India past 250 runs mark.
In reply, Indian bowlers did a great job bowling Zimbabwe out for 172. This time captain Sourav Ganguly picked up 3 wickets while Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh scalped two each. India won the match by 83 runs.
In the next game, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly put up a great batting display against Namibia at Pietermaritzburg. The batting duo shared a 244-run second-wicket partnership, highest of the 2003 World Cup, to help India post 311 for 2 in 50 overs. While Sachin played a gargantuan 152-run knock, Ganguly slammed 112 not out.
Namibia, in reply, could score only 130 as Yuvraj Singh picked up 4 wickets while Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Dinesh Mongia took 2 wickets each. India won the match by 181 runs.
When Ashish Nehra's 6 hit England hard
The best of the Gordon effect was yet to come. On February 26, India took on England at Durban. England were coming to play this match following a thumping 112 runs win against Pakistan. So, a great contest was expected. Once again Indian batsmen performed brilliantly. Their collective effort helped India post 250 for 9 in 50 overs. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar scored half-centuries.
But the high point of the match was Ashish Nehra's spell. The left-arm seamer pierced through the English batting attack picking up 6 wickets for 23 runs in 10 overs. Nehra's 6 for 23 was the third-best bowling figure in the 2003 World Cup. His Durban spell holds a special place in the heart of Indian fans who watched that match.
With four wins in five matches, India sealed their place in the Super Sixes with a group stage match remaining.
Battle of archrivals
In their final group leg match, India confronted archrivals Pakistan at the Centurion Park on March 1. Before this match, Pakistan had turned around their campaign with a 97-run win against the Netherlands after a poor show against England. Now they were looking for a win against India to keep their chance of qualifying for the Super Sixes alive.
Winning the toss Pakistan captain Waqar Younis elected to bat first. Elegant left-handed batsman Saeed Anwar played a superb 101 runs innings that helped Pakistan set a daunting 274 runs target for India.
It was not an easy target, especially because the Pakistani bowling attack that had legends like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar. But the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar gave India a blitzkrieg start scoring 53 runs in 5.4 overs. Both Sehwag and Sachin decided to attack Pakistani bowlers from the very onset of their innings. The ploy worked well as Pakistan bowlers got rattled by their strategy. Sehwag didn't last long. He was dismissed for 21.
But Sachin was in destructive mode. He was hitting Pakistan bowlers for one after another boundary. His six over the third man off the bowling of Akhtar was the most fascinating moment of his innings. The six was identical with the way Sachin played the innings. Captain Ganguly was dismissed for a golden duck by Waqar Younis. Mohammad Kaif was promoted to bat at No. 4. The move worked well as Kaif went on to built a 102-run partnership with Sachin.
When Tendulkar was dismissed for 98 by Akhtar, India were still 97 runs away from victory. Vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh showed great resilience in playing Pakistani quicks. Both Dravid and Yuvraj were unbeaten scoring 44 and 50 respectively as India won the match by 6 wickets with 26 balls remaining.
This was Pakistan's four successive defeats against India in the World Cup. Prior to this match, India defeated Pakistan in 1992, 1996 and 1999 editions of the World Cup.
This victory earned India the second spot in Group A with 20 points. They qualified for the next round with Australia and third place holder Zimbabwe.
Super Sixes
India vs Kenya
India's first Super was against Kenya at Cape Town. Kenya batting first set a modest 226 runs target for India in 50 overs. Kennedy Otieno scored 79. Srinath and Harbhajan took two wickets each.
India, in reply, suffered big blows losing opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar within five overs. Thomas Odoyo and Martin Suji were the wicket-takers. Odoyo added one more to his tally sending Kaif back to the hut in the 10th over. India were in deep trouble with mere 24 runs on the board.
In the 30th over, Kenya reduced India to 108 for 4. This time Rahul Dravid was the man to be missed for 32. Bowler was leg spinner Collins Obuya.
India were in deep trouble. They were still 120 runs away from victory. At this juncture of the match, captain Sourav Ganguly came in India's rescue by playing a steady unbeaten 107 runs innings, his second hundred of the 2003 World Cup.
Ganguly shared a 122-run sixth-wicket partnership with Yuvraj Singh, who scored unbeaten 58, to power India to a 6-wicket win.
India vs Sri Lanka
In their second match of the Super Sixes, India took on Sri Lanka at Johannesburg on March 10. After a gruelling outing against Kenya, the Men in Blue needed to rectify the flaws in the batting attack.
India batting first got off to a brilliant start from Sachin and Sehwag who piled on 153 runs from the opening wicket in 27 overs. Sehwag was dismissed for 66 while Sachin scored 97 before being dismissed by Aravinda de Silva. Later Ganguly scored 48 that helped India to post 292 for 6 in stipulated 50 overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka just couldn't survive Javagal Srinath's seaming deliveries. By the fourth over, Sri Lanka were reduced to 4 for 15. Marvan Atapattu, Jehan Mubarak, Mahela Jayawardene and de Silva were sent back at the hut. Srinath was the bowler on all four occasions.
Later Nehra picked up 4 wickets and Zaheer got two as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 109. Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for them, with 30. India won the match by 183 runs.
India vs New Zealand
India bowlers continued to dazzle in the tournament. Now it was the turn for Zaheer Khan who ran through the New Zealand batting attack picking up four wickets. Harbhajan Singh got two while Srinath, Nehra, Sehwag and Mongia scalped one wicket each. New Zealand were bowled out for 146.
India, in reply, got off to a shaky start losing three wickets for 21 runs. Shane Bond picked up 2 while Daryl Tuffey took 1 wicket. But a 129-run fifth-wicket partnership between Mohammad Kaif (68) and Rahul Dravid (53) aided India to a 7-wicket win.
With three wins in three matches, India were assured of a semifinal spot.
Semifinal
India took on Kenya in the second semifinal at Durban on March 20. Batting first India scored 270 for 4. Sourav Ganguly scored 111 not out, his ODI career's 22nd century and Sachin Tendulkar played a steady 83-run knock.
Indian bowlers gave a befitting reply to Kenyan batsmen reducing them to 4 for 46 in the 15th over. They were finally bowled out for 179 that saw an end to Kenya's fairytale World Cup campaign. India won the match by 91 runs and set the summit clash with defending champions Australia, who defeated Sri Lanka in the first semifinal.
Zaheer Khan was Man of the Match for his 3 for 14.
The Final
Entire nation glued to the TV sets back home to see India winning their second World Cup title in South Africa. But the final turned out be an onesided match. India captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and invited Australia to bat.
Australia's reply was epic as they did a run feast at the Wanderers Stadium. Adam Gilchrist (57) and Matthew Hayden (37) gave Australia a destructive start putting on 105 from the first wicket.
After Gilchrist's dismissal captain Ricky Ponting toyed with the Indian bowlers during his 140 not out. Ponting hit 8 sixes and 4 boundaries to ruin India's hope. He along with Damien Martin (88) built a massive 234-run partnership for the fourth wicket that powered Australia to a colossal 359 for 2.
In the very first over, India's hope was doomed as Sachin Tendulkar was caught and bowled by Glenn McGrath. Virender Sehwag then played a whirlwind inning of 82 off 81 balls. His innings emerged as a ray of hope for the Indians. But then in the 24th over Darren Lehman's throw shattered all hopes as Sehwag fell short of the crease at the non-striking end.
Later Rahul Dravid played 47 runs knock. But India were no match for the Australians. They were finally bundled out for 234 in the 40th over.
Australia defeated India by 125 runs. Ricky Ponting and Co. lifted their third ICC Cricket World Cup title.
India buckled under the pressure of massive target, but it was a good show from the Indian team since they were not among the pre-tournament favourites. They came to play the 2003 World Cup in the backdrop of 5-2 ODI series defeat in New Zealand. After the 2003 World Cup, India needed two more editions to win the coveted the title at home in 2011.
