On the seventh anniversary of India’s 2013 Champions Trophy win, let’s look at India’s Champions Trophy All-Time XI. I have picked the XI not according to their batting positions but by their overall performance in the tournament
Look out for some surprises…
Openers
Shikhar Dhawan
Editions played: 2013, 2017
Dhawan has a great habit of making ICC tournaments count. His enviable batting numbers makes him an automatic first pick in this side. He has rightly adjudged the Player of the Tournament in the 2013 edition of the tournament.
Matches 10 | Runs 701 | HS 125 | Ave 77.9 | SR 101.6 | 100s 3 | 50s 3
Virender Sehwag
Editions played: 2002, 2004, 2006
Sehwag played in an era where 300-plus scores in ODIs weren’t the norm. His fantastic strike rate makes him a good choice to partner his fellow Delhi man Dhawan at the top. Sehwag was one of India’s heroes in the 2002 campaign where India shared the trophy with Sri Lanka. In fact, he won the match with the ball against South Africa in the semi-final. That win remains one of India’s most remarkable wins.
Matches 10 | Runs 389 | HS 126 | Ave 48.6 | SR 100.8 | 100s 1 | 50s 2 | Wickets 5 | BB 3/25
Watch Sehwag demolish England in 2002:
Middle-order
Sourav Ganguly (c)
Editions played: 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004
Ganguly leads this team. He captained India to the tournament final in 2000 and lifted the trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002. Ganguly has been one of the best batters in the Champions Trophy tournament history. He southpaw bats at No.3 in this team.
Matches 13 | Runs 665 | HS 141* | Ave 73.9 | SR 83.1 | 100s 3 | 50s 3 | Wicket 1
Watch Ganguly’s 141* in the 2000 Champions Trophy semi-final:
Virat Kohli
Editions played: 2009, 2013, 2017
No Indian ODI side is complete without Kohli, isn't it? He might not have scored a hundred in the tournament but has scored at critical times ensuring India toppled the line. He was the top-scorer in 2013 final and played a brilliant hand of 96 not out in the 2017 semi-final against Bangladesh.
Matches 13 | Runs 529 | HS 96* | Ave 88.2 | SR 92.3 | 50s 5
Rohit Sharma
Editions played: 2013, 2017
Though Rohit has opened in all the Champions Trophy matches he has played, he gets to bat at No.5 in this team. Already top-heavy, this side relies on Rohit's expertise and consistency in the middle-order. In the ten innings that he has batted, he has five fifty-plus scores.
Matches 10 | Runs 481 | HS 123* | Ave 53.4 | SR 82.5 | 100s 1 | 50s 4
All-rounders
Sachin Tendulkar
Editions played: 1998, 2002, 2006, 2009
Surprise. Surprise. Before you stop reading, read the reasoning.
Believe it or not, one of the greatest batters in the one-day format plays in this side as an all-rounder. Tendulkar, the batsman, has been below average in the Champions Trophy tournaments. However, he has been one of India’s best bowlers, the joint-third highest wicket-taker for India in the tournament history. Tendulkar gets this unfamiliar role at No.6 or should we say a familiar one when he started his career in the early 90s.
Matches 16 | Runs 441 | HS 141 | Ave 36.8 | SR 78.8 | 100s 1 | 50s 1
Wickets 14 | Ave 25.1 | BB 4/38 | Econ 4.7 | 4w 1
Watch Tendulkar’s match-winning hundred and four-wicket haul against Australia in the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998, Dhaka:
Rahul Dravid (wk)
Editions played: 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009
Yes, there’s no Dhoni! Dravid has far better numbers than Dhoni the keeper-batsman in Champions Trophy. For the record, Dhoni 22.9 in the tournament and Dravid is the third-highest run-getter for India in Champions Trophy after Dhawan and Ganguly. Dravid, at No.7, will be expected to finish off the innings with Tendulkar and Jadeja.
Matches 19 | Runs 627 | HS 76 | Ave 48.2 | SR 73.3 | 50s 6
Ravindra Jadeja
Editions played: 2013, 2017
Jadeja is the highest wicket-taker for India in the tournament. Along with Dhawan, he was one of the architects of India’s tournament triumph in 2013. He has also done well in the limited opportunities with the bat. In fact, he has been dismissed only once in the tournament.
Matches 10 | Runs 95 | HS 47* | Ave 95 | SR 118.8
Wickets 16 | Ave 25.2 | BB 5/36 | Econ 4.8 | 5w 1
Pacers
Irfan Pathan
Editions played: 2004, 2006
Nothing spectacular, but consistency is the story behind Irfan’s good numbers in Champions Trophy. In the five matches he has played spanning across two editions, Irfan claimed a wicket in every single outing. In 2004, against Pakistan, Irfan’s spell kept India in the hunt. Both the 2004 and 2006 editions were forgettable for India and Irfan’s bowling was among the few good talking points.
Matches 5 | Wickets 9 | Ave 15.7 | BB 3/34 | Econ 4
Watch Irfan’s splendid spell against Pakistan in 2004:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Editions played: 2013, 2017
Like Irfan, Bhuvi too has been all about consistency in the two tournaments that he has played. Even in the 2017 final when Pakistan went all guns blazing, Bhuvi’s bowling figures were 10-2-44-1. Along with Irfan, Bhuvi ensures that this side possesses a brilliant seam attack.
Matches 10 | Wickets 13 | Ave 25.7 | BB 2/19 | Econ 4.3
Zaheer Khan
Editions played: 2000, 2002
It was Champions Trophy 2000 where a 21-year-old Zaheer debuted for India. Backed by good pace and searing yorkers, Zaheer immediately caught the eyes of the fan. India had found their pace spearhead who could take the mantle from the ageing Javagal Srinath. Zaheer made an immediate impact, first with his three-for on debut, against Kenya. Then in the quarter-final, he cleaned up Steve Waugh at a critical juncture of the game. In the two tournaments that he participated, India made it to the final in both – runners-up in 2000 and joint-winners in 2002. Zaheer leads the bowling attack in this side.
Matches 9 | Wickets 15 | Ave 24.5 | BB 4/45 | Econ 4.6 | 4w 1
Watch Zaheer’s ODI debut during Champion’s Trophy 2000:
