Two pulsating matches against Australia (Quarterfinal) and South Africa (Semifinal) that India won put them in the ICC Champions Trophy finals against New Zealand. What would have made the Indians more happier were the discoveries of two players who would add depth to both the batting and bowling departments. Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh announced their emergence at this tournament with performances that rocked the cricketing world. Sourav Ganguly was the captain of the Indian team, heralding a new era in the Indian cricket.
Yuvraj started proceedings with a gutsy 84 against the No. 1 team in the World (winners of 1999 World Cup) containing bowlers like Mcgrath, Brett Lee, Gillespie. Though the pitch may have been more of subcontinental nature, the temperament of Yuvraj as a 18-year old batsman against the Aussie might was like a breath of fresh air. His presence also increased the fielding strength of the Indian team who had been known for their laxity on the field. Together with Sachin's outburst at the top of the innings against Glen Mcgrath, the pair set a challenging total of 265.
Next stop was South Africa. By now, the Indian morale was high having beaten the world champions in the quarters. The senior batsmen (Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid) all shone to take the team to a stiff total. Not to be outdone, Yuvraj blasted a quick-fire 41 to help the scoring. Zaheer took the wickets of Hall and Dippenaar within his first three overs to ensure that the Proteas were on the backfoot straightaway. Once again, the yorker to Hall was a sight to behold for the Indian fans. The Indians won by a handsome margin, inflicting yet another defeat to the Proteas at the knockout level.
Yuvraj started proceedings with a gutsy 84 against the No. 1 team in the World (winners of 1999 World Cup) containing bowlers like Mcgrath, Brett Lee, Gillespie. Though the pitch may have been more of subcontinental nature, the temperament of Yuvraj as a 18-year old batsman against the Aussie might was like a breath of fresh air. His presence also increased the fielding strength of the Indian team who had been known for their laxity on the field. Together with Sachin's outburst at the top of the innings against Glen Mcgrath, the pair set a challenging total of 265.
The Australian team batted deep and hence this total was achievable. Despite regular fall of wickets, Steve Waugh was steady at one end. Until Zaheer Khan with his accurate yorker dismissed him and gave a glimmer of hope. Agarkar and Prasad picked up one wicket each to finish the innings and catapulted the Indian team to the semis. The win was refreshing because of the intensity and sting that the two juniors brought to the team.
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| Thanks to Sportskeeda for this image |
The Indians would go on to lose the final to Chris Cairns-inspired Black Caps but this performance would give them a lot of hope for the future.
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