India’s iconic World Cup win in 2019
The 2019 ODI World Cup remains one of the most closely contested World Cups of all-time. There were no clear favourites as hosts England despite their new method were untested at the big stage. It was after 20 years since 1999 that the World Cup returned to England and Wales. Let us look at India’s iconic World Cup win in 2019 in details.
The tournament was altered to increase the amount of engaging games with teams cut to 10 in number. It reduced the amount of games to 48 (just one less than the previous edition) but ensured better parity. The format was similar to that of the 1992 World Cup. Every side played the other team once in the league and the top four played the semifinals.
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The top two team in the league phase:
Australia, the defending champions didn’t have the best of off-field memories walking into the tournament. Their two suspended players just returned to the squad. But Australia showed their big tournament temperament. They won 7 of their 9 nine games with losses coming against India and South Africa. Australia finished second in the group stage.
India dropped just one game in the entire league stage against hosts England which incidentally marked a turnaround of sorts for the latter. The Indian team seem hardly troubled right through the group phase despite growing injuries and players playing out of position. They topped the group with 7 wins and 1 loss, with 1 game being washed out owing to rain.
Who completed the final four?
England’s tournament seemed to be nose-diving with losses against Pakistan, Australia, and a shock defeat to Sri Lanka. But they counterattacked stunningly in a must-win game against India. This win revived their fortunes and they finished third on the points table with 6 wins and 3 losses.
New Zealand contrary to popular belief was lucky considering their passage in the tournament. They were tied on points (11) with Pakistan but piped them on NRR. New Zealand in fact lost their league game to Pakistan. But heavy defeats against India and West Indies had rocked Pakistan’s boat early. New Zealand with 5 wins and 1 no result was the fourth semifinalist.
The knockouts and the epic final:
India and Australia were the two previous champions who knew how to win the big moment. But both the semis saw stunning reversals as New Zealand got the better of India in a heartbreaking seminal while England plundered Australia. It set up a final between England and New Zealand with the promise of a new World Cup winner.
There was little to separate the two sides at the end of the 100 overs and even after the super over. But it was England who won the World Cup because of the much criticised boundary-count rule. After losing 3 World Cup finals and not making it to the knockouts since 1992, England finally lifted the World Cup trophy!
The game-changers of the 2019 World Cup:
Unlike the previous editions of the tournament, this one didn’t really have a single individual outshining the other. There were many players who stood up and made an impact. Shakib Al Hasan became the first Bangladeshi player to cross the 600-run mark (606) in a single World Cup. David Warner with 647 runs was the second-highest run-scorer while Rohit Sharma broke almost all batting records with 648 runs and 5 centuries.
Mitchell Starc once again was the major force scalping 27 wickets at an average of 18.59. He broke the record of Glenn McGrath (26 wickets) for picking up most wickets in a single edition. But there were two players who towered head and shoulders over the others in this edition. They were the ones who contested the epic final.
Kane Williamson and Ben Stokes:
The New Zealand skipper set new benchmarks not just with his on-field display but the way he carried the team throughout the World Cup. Kane Williamson was an epitome of grace in New Zealand’s gut-wrenching boundary-count loss in the finals. He scored 578 runs in 9 games at an average of 82.57 smashing 2 centuries. Williamson was awarded the Player of the Tournament for his contribution in making the game beautiful.
The winning performance though came from Ben Stokes. He was simply unmissable in all the high-pressure games. Be it batting, bowling or fielding, Stokes was everywhere. He scored 465 runs in 11 matches at an average of 66.42 and a strike rate of 93.18. Stokes took 3 catches with the one in the opening game going down as the finest of the tournament in addition to picking up 7 wickets.
In all fairness, he was the MVP of the 2019 World Cup. He might not have got the MVP medal but he certainly did wear the World Cup winner’s tag!
