Being an Indian fan, which defeats haunt you the most across formats?

[The Bald Eagle]

No team is invincible, and every team has its shares of failures. So being an Indian team fan, which defeats still haunt you and which are the one which were totally avoidable but your team and particular players messed them up.

No team can ever progress until they scrutinize their flaws and learn from their past mistakes. So feel free to drop some heart break moments across formats.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

In Test format, I believe three defeats haunt India the most...The saqlain Mushtaq induced debacle, WTC final 2021 and the MCG Test 2024

 

[Rafale Nidhal]

2017 CT Final....it still hurts

 

[jnaveen1980]

Not the first time we have been in this situation. MCG test India could still have certainly drawn easily. SCG test loss of Bumrah dented our chance. That too start of the match. We couldn't even get replacement. So India bowled a bowler less still got the lead. With Bumrah SCG coudl have been won. Instead of winning 2-1 India came home 1-3.

 

[mominsaigol]

Not the first time we have been in this situation. MCG test India could still have certainly drawn easily. SCG test loss of Bumrah dented our chance. That too start of the match. We couldn't even get replacement. So India bowled a bowler less still got the lead. With Bumrah SCG coudl have been won. Instead of winning 2-1 India came home 1-3.

Next time on Channel Jnaveen, Witness how he analyses every game india ever lost and finds an excuse to justify how India could have won and garnered a 100% win record.

 

[Hellion]

All defeats to Pakistan in the last 10 years. Shouldn't be losing to teams with such little talent

 

[The Bald Eagle]

All defeats to Pakistan in the last 10 years. Shouldn't be losing to teams with such little talent

O it's absolutely true, especially for the events in 2017 and 2021. And besides 2021, Pak never had a world class squad in last 10 years

 

[gazza619]

Surely it has got to be the Miandad six?

 

[jnaveen1980]

Surely it has got to be the Miandad six?

I am not sure anyone is even old enough to remember that. We should talk about 25 year window.

 

[gazza619]

I am not sure anyone is even old enough to remember that. We should talk about 25 year window.

Fair enough.

In that case it has got to be the test match that Saqi won for Pakistan.

 

[Ab Fan]

You didn’t mention the format so I assume it is taking all formats and the answer would be same as what Rohit Sharma would give. We all know it.

 

[Rajdeep]

This is a personal question and opinion varies person to person. Below is my list in this order:

1. Semi final 2019 WC vs NZ - biggest heartbreak.

2. Semi final 1996 WC vs SL

3. CT Finals 2017

4. Quarter finals 2015 WC

5. Ind vs Zimb 1999 WC

Thank you OP for the question.

Btw, as a Pakistani fan, which is your biggest heartbreak from below:

1992 Sydney
1996 Bangalore
1999 Manchester
2003 Centurion
2007 Durban
2007 J'burg
2011 Mohali
2012 Colombo
2013 Birmingham
2014 Dhaka
2015 Adelaide
2016 Kolkata
2019 Manchester
2022 Melbourne
2023 Ahmedabad
2024 NewYork

 

[The Bald Eagle]

This is a personal question and opinion varies person to person. Below is my list in this order:

1. Semi final 2019 WC vs NZ - biggest heartbreak.

2. Semi final 1996 WC vs SL

3. CT Finals 2017

4. Quarter finals 2015 WC

5. Ind vs Zimb 1999 WC

Thank you OP for the question.

Btw, as a Pakistani fan, which is your biggest heartbreak from below:

1992 Sydney
1996 Bangalore
1999 Manchester
2003 Centurion
2007 Durban
2007 J'burg
2011 Mohali
2012 Colombo
2013 Birmingham
2014 Dhaka
2015 Adelaide
2016 Kolkata
2019 Manchester
2022 Melbourne
2023 Ahmedabad
2024 NewYork

Lol you are a cheeky guy pal #Raj

 

[msb314]

Not Indian of course but surely has to be the following games:

- 1996 SF to SL
- 2007 Group Stage to Bangladesh
- 2014 Final to SL
- 2016 SF to WI
- 2017 Final to Pakistan
- 2019 SF to NZ
- 2022 SF to England
- 2023 Final Aus

All of these games - barring the 2022 SF to England maybe… India were the better team and should have won handsomely

@Rajdeep @Bhaag Viru Bhaag @cricketjoshila @Bhaijaan

 

[jnaveen1980]

Fair enough.

In that case it has got to be the test match that Saqi won for Pakistan.

2023 world cup would be worse because India decimated 10 teams in a row only to lose to an not so in form Australian team on a tacky wicket where they expected Australia to bat first.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Not Indian of course but surely has to be the following games:

- 1996 SF to SL
- 2007 Group Stage to Bangladesh
- 2014 Final to SL
- 2016 SF to WI
- 2017 Final to Pakistan
- 2019 SF to NZ
- 2022 SF to England
- 2023 Final Aus

All of these games - barring the 2022 SF to England maybe… India were the better team and should have won handsomely

@Rajdeep @Bhaag Viru Bhaag @cricketjoshila @Bhaijaan

2017, 2019, 2023 India was a better team. 2019 some external factors played its part. India played that one day game over a period of 2 days. They got early morning assistance next day. If India had started chase same day they would have won it.

 

[msb314]

2017, 2019, 2023 India was a better team. 2019 some external factors played its part. India played that one day game over a period of 2 days. They got early morning assistance next day. If India had started chase same day they would have won it.

-1996 SL were minnows and Sachin, Azharuddin and Kumble should Have won it easily that day
- 2007 WC same as above. You had Sehwag, Sachin and Dravid
- 2014 / 2016. Yes T20 is a shootout but Yuvraj played a garbage innings and the SF against WI… Bumrah and no balls
- 2017: flat pitch and Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli should not succumbed so cheaply to Amir
- 2019: agree it was a 2 day game but Indian top order should have better adjusted. As Jadeja and Dhoni showed no demons once the ball got soft
- 2022: England were a good team but Indian bowling should have made the game closer
- 2023 WC. Kohlis wicket was untimely but Rahul should not be batting at a SR of 64. It was a 300+ wicket.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Not Indian of course but surely has to be the following games:

- 1996 SF to SL
- 2007 Group Stage to Bangladesh
- 2014 Final to SL
- 2016 SF to WI
- 2017 Final to Pakistan
- 2019 SF to NZ
- 2022 SF to England
- 2023 Final Aus

All of these games - barring the 2022 SF to England maybe… India were the better team and should have won handsomely

@Rajdeep @Bhaag Viru Bhaag @cricketjoshila @Bhaijaan

We weren’t the better team in any of those games which is why we lost.

 

[jnaveen1980]

We weren’t the better team in any of those games which is why we lost.

One of the reason India consistently failed in some crucial games was because of lack of depth for just in case scenarios. INdia generally went with bowlers who could not bat, batsmen who could not bowl. So India was required to play near perfect game every time. So any hiccup we go into total panic mode like we did in 2023 world cup final where we missed Pandya to lend balance. For the first time in a while we played 8 batsmen in World T20, 2024. We won. Lack of depth to handle unexpected scenarios cost us a few games. Now we are adding depth even in Tests. We could have won 2 in 2 . But some brainfades cost us.

 

[Bhaijaan]

One of the reason India consistently failed in some crucial games was because of lack of depth for just in case scenarios. INdia generally went with bowlers who could not bat, batsmen who could not bowl. So India was required to play near perfect game every time. So any hiccup we go into total panic mode like we did in 2023 world cup final where we missed Pandya to lend balance. For the first time in a while we played 8 batsmen in World T20, 2024. We won. Lack of depth to handle unexpected scenarios cost us a few games. Now we are adding depth even in Tests. We could have won 2 in 2 . But some brainfades cost us.

We are the worst major nation af chasing 150* totals.

Even if you include minnows like Bangladesh, Pakistan I doubt we would be any better.

 

[sweep_shot]

I think their 2023 WC final defeat was their worst.

It was their home game. They doctored the pitch. There were over 100,000 Indian fans at the ground. But, they still lost.

 

[Technics 1210]

I think their 2023 WC final defeat was their worst.

It was their home game. They doctored the pitch. There were over 100,000 Indian fans at the ground. But, they still lost.

That was the ultimate humiliation.

There's no topping that day, ever.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

I think their 2023 WC final defeat was their worst.

It was their home game. They doctored the pitch. There were over 100,000 Indian fans at the ground. But, they still lost.

Yes that's on top, as many indian friends already acknowledged. Birmingham Test in 2018 was also a big disappointment less talked about

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

We all know the answer.

2023 World Cup Final.

ATG bottle-job. I can't think of any other World Cup edition where one team dominated so heavily. Not even Australia in 2003 and 2007. To give the shambolic performance that India gave in the final was pretty unbelievable. Surely a match that will haunt Indian fans for years to come.

 

[RexRex]

We all know the answer.

2023 World Cup Final.

ATG bottle-job. I can't think of any other World Cup edition where one team dominated so heavily. Not even Australia in 2003 and 2007. To give the shambolic performance that India gave in the final was pretty unbelievable. Surely a match that will haunt Indian fans for years to come.

Funnily enough, the 2003 final affected me more .. I was more impressionable then and thought the team (and sachin) was on a roll. And the opposition were the legendary aussie team.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Funnily enough, the 2003 final affected me more .. I was more impressionable then and thought the team (and sachin) was on a roll. And the opposition were the legendary aussie team.

Tbh I never thought India would win the 2003 WC final. 2023, I thought there was no way India was losing

But I can understand. Everyone has different experiences

 

[Rajdeep]

We all know the answer.

2023 World Cup Final.

ATG bottle-job. I can't think of any other World Cup edition where one team dominated so heavily. Not even Australia in 2003 and 2007. To give the shambolic performance that India gave in the final was pretty unbelievable. Surely a match that will haunt Indian fans for years to come.

Nah...

As I said, this answer is subjective and it varies from person to person. For me, I forgot that defeat on the same evening, let alone next day. Pakistan game in Modi stadium was the main event of that tournament and the interest died post that match.

WC 2019 semi final defeat is handsdown most painful defeat. When the game went into day 2, no one in their darkest dream thought we will lost. We all were looking forward to the final at Lords. Then when the dream came crashing down one by one, they were body blows. I remeber it was a work day (monday IIRC) and we couldnt sit in office. That game and Dhoni run out still hurts 6 years late. WC 2023 does not even come close to that pain.

CT 2017 was very painful as well and it was the biggest one since that semi final game in 2019.

#NeverForget

 

[oatmeal]

The 2003 WC final was by far the most devastating. It was during exam season and I watched the match instead of preparing for the exams. Got poor marks and Ponting destroyed us

1999 Chennai test vs Pakistan

1996 SF at Eden

Special mentions
India vs Zimbabwe in the 99 WC (the game Sachin didnt play because his father passed away IIRC). We had a power cut that day in the last few overs and I listened to the game on radio with around 30 other kids and we thought India was going to win easily till that Olonga over

The Douglas Marillier game

 

[oatmeal]

Surely it has got to be the Miandad six?

Miandad six was a part of his lore in Pakistan but in India it didnt hit that hard. Sure people talked about it in the 90s but more as a discussion point - it didnt have a big psychological impact.

 

[jnaveen1980]

For every bad loss we have memorable wins. Most recently defending 30 of 30 in the T20 final was gold.

 

[Vikram1989]

I will point out 2014 t20 wc final in april for a different reason. Sachitra senanayake(spinner) bowled quite well in the slog overs . He was bowling like a pacer and bowling near the wide line at high pace .In July he got banned for chucking at 43 degrees. It was the highest level of screw job by chucker at big finals . ( don't get bumrah in to straw arguments , he has hyper extension)

 

[Vikram1989]

As long as India learns from its mistakes and keeps going,it should be good. After ct 17 final, India brought kuldeep for middle order breakthroughs .After 22 t20wc, India got batters till 8 .same thing for wc 23 too .As long as it accepts and rectify its mistakes as a professional unit, We should be good. As Steve Waugh pointed out , sa never ever bothered to review 99 wc semis and accept the short comings to fix any problem for future.

 

[mominsaigol]

No defeat haunts me as I am not an indian fan, I am the most neutral guy on this forumn. I dont take sides or play favourites.

 

[BouncerGuy]

1999 chennai test and that 2017 CT final defeat against Pakistan.... LOL

 

[oatmeal]

Funnily enough, the 2003 final affected me more .. I was more impressionable then and thought the team (and sachin) was on a roll. And the opposition were the legendary aussie team.

Same here. it felt like that moment was promised to us. A lot of fans were too young to have experienced the 83 win and it felt like 2003 was our generation's seminal sports memory. And it ended up in a totally one sided loss. Heartbreaking

 

[The Bald Eagle]

O how can Indians forget that
===

 

[Technics 1210]

Every defeat will haunt a weak and feeble minded cult.

 

[Mamoon]

I think from an India perspective, it will be hard to look beyond 2023. Imagine losing the final in front of a sea of 90,000 fans after controlling, influencing and manipulating every aspect of the tournament.

It was the first true “Home” World Cup ever in history and they still found a way to bottle it.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

I think from an India perspective, it will be hard to look beyond 2023. Imagine losing the final in front of a sea of 90,000 fans after controlling, influencing and manipulating every aspect of the tournament.

It was the first true “Home” World Cup ever in history and they still found a way to bottle it.

And imagine being Modi in his namesake stadium in his hometown going there to ensure his team's luck

 

[Mamoon]

And imagine being Modi in his namesake stadium in his hometown going there to ensure his team's luck

And Ravi Shastri losing his voice in the post match presentation ceremony. The same guy who doesn’t even need a mic to be heard by the whole stadium.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

The 2003 WC final was by far the most devastating. It was during exam season and I watched the match instead of preparing for the exams. Got poor marks and Ponting destroyed us

1999 Chennai test vs Pakistan

1996 SF at Eden

Special mentions
India vs Zimbabwe in the 99 WC (the game Sachin didnt play because his father passed away IIRC). We had a power cut that day in the last few overs and I listened to the game on radio with around 30 other kids and we thought India was going to win easily till that Olonga over

The Douglas Marillier game

Same as above. In addition to this, I would like to add the test match in West Indies where we were chasing 120 something and still ended up losing that match.

Other matches:

2007 WC match against Bangladesh
CT 2017 Final
2023 WC Final

 

[RexRex]

In addition to this, I would like to add the test match in West Indies where we were chasing 120 something and still ended up losing that match.

That was Barbados 1997. I was a kid but still have vivid memories of stumps flying all over the place in that final innings.

 

[jnaveen1980]

That was Barbados 1997. I was a kid but still have vivid memories of stumps flying all over the place in that final innings.

But giant noball dismissals were not called by umpires. Sidhu was out on noball in both innings. Tendulkar was dismissed off a noball as well. Almost a foot outside

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

That was Barbados 1997. I was a kid but still have vivid memories of stumps flying all over the place in that final innings.

Do you remember Franklyn Rose?

 

[RexRex]

Do you remember Franklyn Rose?

Yep .. still remember that shining bald head of the newbie who outshone his big name colleagues.

 

[RexRex]

But giant noball dismissals were not called by umpires. Sidhu was out on noball in both innings. Tendulkar was dismissed off a noball as well. Almost a foot outside

It does make you wonder how different the 90s bowling records would look today if they had DRS.
So many inflated records, ahem

 

[DeadlyVenom]

As a Non Indian I particularly enjoy those matches where Indian hubris gets burst.

Some notable mentions.

2023 WC - Tailor made tournament and a stadium full of cult members ready to rock and roll in custom prepared celebrations to be denied by Pat Cummins. I call this the original Bunyan-e-marsos.

Tendulkar 100th hundred - After what felt like a real circus that lasted years Tendulkar made his 100 but in the process lost to Bangladesh in a tournament Pakistan won. There was delicious irony as fans had spent his whole career denying the link between a Tendulkar hundred and India losing.

T20 WC in Dubai - Sunny G at the toss talking about how the Indian openers may bat all 20 overs. Indian businessmen trying to troll Pakistan online before the match. And in the end it was a chastening loss.

 

[oatmeal]

That was Barbados 1997. I was a kid but still have vivid memories of stumps flying all over the place in that final innings.

I think we were bowled for 80 or 90 all out. What a missed opportunity

 

[jnaveen1980]

It does make you wonder how different the 90s bowling records would look today if they had DRS.
So many inflated records, ahem

West Indians were known violators of this. It was not to take wicket. It was more to intimidate batsmen. In the process they get wickets

 

[The Bald Eagle]

That was Barbados 1997. I was a kid but still have vivid memories of stumps flying all over the place in that final innings.

O the Ambrose special....Sachin was irate with his team then

 

[sweep_shot]

2017 CT final. That has to be up there.

It was an ICC event final against Pakistan. India got crushed completely.

 

[RidiculousMan]

I think from an India perspective, it will be hard to look beyond 2023. Imagine losing the final in front of a sea of 90,000 fans after controlling, influencing and manipulating every aspect of the tournament.

It was the first true “Home” World Cup ever in history and they still found a way to bottle it.

True. I think it also hurts more when you lose something you genuinely believe and know you will win it because you have been the best team in tournament thus far. As was the case with Pakistan in WT20 2021 before the final Wade showdown.