The pre-match talk ahead of the 2023 Cricket World Cup finals circled around whether the men in blue, led by Rohit Sharma, were the strongest Indian ODI team ever. No one bothered with headto-head comparisons between India and Australia; instead, the only match-ups that interested the pundits were 'India in 1983' vs 'India in 2011' vs 'India 2023'. The verdict was unanimous, with scales heavily tilted in favour of the current Indian bunch. But as soon as the dust settled and Australia were crowned six-time world champions, the question that popped up was: 'How will history remember India's class of 2023 after they dominated the tournament so thoroughly, only to fall short at the final hurdle?'
JASPRIT BUMRAH
THE RENEWABLE ROCKET
Jasprit Bumrah's return to international cricket happened just before the World Cup, so there were doubts about him being the same lethal force. However, the wily pacer showed that injuries have not caused him to lose a beat as he was at his imperious best through the course of the tournament-he took 20 wickets at an economy of 4.06 and an average of 18.65. It was not a surprise that he was part of the World Cup best XI team picked by the ICC
"Even if you ask me years later, I'll remember this World Cup for the domination and intimidation of this Indian team over every other team," says Robin Uthappa, member of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team. "They made all of us Indians feel invincible. The past 45 days have been exceptional for Indian cricket." Such sentiments are rarely expressed in cricket-mad India, especially when the country has been starved for an ICC title for over a decade. Yet, this time, that's exactly how 'bleed-blue' faithfuls seem to have responded to India's loss in the finals-perhaps a testament to how good the men in blue were throughout the tournament and the joy fans experienced.
Esta historia es de la edición December 04, 2023 de India Today.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 04, 2023 de India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
