The ODI World Cup 2023 is just months away with India hosting the marquee event. Last time, the World Cup was held in India, the home team won the tournament setting the trend of winning World Cups on home soil. It would be interesting to see if that would continue in this edition. Here is a look back at three iconic moments that changed the course of the game in an ODI World Cup final.
3. MS Dhoni promoting himself in 2011
The 2011 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka was an iconic game-changing moment. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, two key players for India, were dismissed early. Even with a difficult total of 275 runs, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were able to keep the innings steady. However, in an unexpected decision following Kohli’s departure, Dhoni moved up the order ahead of the effective Yuvraj Singh. Many people were surprised by his unconventional choice, but Dhoni’s belief in his talent led to a match-winning innings, and with a thunderous six, he guided India to a long-awaited World Cup victory.
The World Cup final of 2019 is regarded as one of the most entertaining finals of all time. Entertainment rarely comes without controversies in Cricket. Ben Stokes’s dive during the final over when England needed 9 to win off three balls was probably one of the most controversial moments in Cricket World Cup history that completely changed the course of the game. Stokes dived in to complete a double but the ball thrown at great speed hit his bat while diving and went to the fence. Stokes was awarded six runs on that delivery and England needed three to win off two balls. The final, as we know now, went to the Super Over where England won on a boundary count.
Defending a modest total of 183 runs in the final of the 1983 World Cup, India were not expected to win against the mighty West Indies. Viv Richards was breezing through the Indian bowling attack until he mistimed a hook shot to medium-pacer Madan Lal. Kapil Dev took a brilliant backwards-running catch to send Richards back to the pavilion. What followed was total mayhem for the Windies. They could not recover from the setback as eight wickets fell for 83 runs giving India their maiden World Cup. Kapil Dev’s catch turned the tide of the match in India’s favor and remains one of the iconic game-changing moments in an ODI World Cup final.