Yuvraj's arrival to Tendulkar's all-round show: Best 6 performances by Indians in Champions Trophy history

Team India led by Rohit Sharma will aim for the Champions Trophy triumph when they begin their quest for it in their first group stage against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on February 20, Thursday. 

Over the last several editions of the Champions Trophy since 1998, many Indian players have contributed significantly to the team’s success in the tournament. There have been breathtaking performances with the bat, masterclass innings, brilliant all-round show and match-winning spells with the ball that have etched their names in the tournament’s history. 

Let’s take a look at the best performances by Indian players in the Champions Trophy history: 

1. Yuvraj Singh’s 84 vs Australia (2000) 

The cricketing world witnessed the glimpse of 19-year-old Yuvraj Singh’s talent when he announced his international arrival in the Champions Trophy match against Australia. Then the youngster made his mark in international cricket by playing a brilliant innings of 84 off 80 balls in the quarterfinal against Australia in 2000. He faced the likes of Glenn McGrath, Brett and Jason Gillespie  and took them on with his fearless approach. His innings helped India post a total of 265/9, which was successfully defended by bundling out Australia for 245. 

2. Virender Sehwag’s 126 vs England (2002) 

Virender Sehwag was in an absolute beast mode in the 2002 Champions Trophy semifinal against England. The opener took on England's bowling attack to the cleaners and played a brilliant knock of 126 off 104 balls and formed an opening 192-run stand with Sourav Ganguly, who scored an unbeaten 117 off 109, to help India chase down a 270-run target in 39.4 overs. Sehwag raced to a century in 81 balls after completing fifty in 45 balls, taking just 36 balls to convert his fifty into hundred. His brilliant innings laced 21 balls and a six.

3. Ravindra Jadeja’s 5/36 vs West Indies (2013) 

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja put up his best performance in the 2013 Champions Trophy. He picked five wickets while conceding just 36 runs at an economy rate of at an economy rate of 3.6 in 10 overs. With this, Jadeja became the first Indian bowler to scalp a five-wicket haul in the Champions Trophy history. His spin bowling triggered a collapse in West Indies’ batting line-up as the Caribbean side went from 103/1 to 182/9 before they eventually posted a total of 233/9. India chased down a 234-run target in 39.1 overs. 

4. Sachin Tendulkar’s all-round performance vs Australia (1998)

The Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar displayed brilliant performance not just with his willow but also with the ball in the 1998 Champions Trophy quarterfinal against Australia. With the bat, Tendulkar played a brilliant innings of 141 off 128 balls, including 13 fours and 3 sixes, to help India post a total 307/8. With the ball, he registered figures 4/38 at an economy rate of 4.14 in 9.1 overs to bundle out Australia for 263 in 43.1 overs. Sachin Tendulkar was awarded Man of the Match for his all-round brilliance in the quarterfinal. 

5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 2/19 vs Pakistan (2013) 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a dream spell in the 2013 Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals Pakistan. Kumar’s swing ball troubled the Pakistan batters as he conceded just 19 runs while picking two wickets at an economy rate of 2.37 in 8 overs. Pakistan were bundled out for 165 in 39.4 overs. The match was reduced to 40-over per side due to rain in Birmingham. During India’s 165-run chase, the rain interrupted the match and the target was revised to 102 in 22 overs. India managed to chase it in 19.1 overs. 

6. Virat Kohli’s 96 vs Bangladesh (2017)

Virat Kohli played one of his best knocks not just in Champions Trophy but also in his ODI career. Kohli walked out to bat when India were 87/1 after Shikhar Dhawan’s dismissal and played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 96 off 78 balls, consisting of 13 balls, to help India chase down the 265-run target set by Bangladesh. Virat Kohli took complete control of the run-chase while forming a 178-run unbeaten stand with Rohit Sharma, who scored 123 off 129 balls. In the partnership, Kohli contributed 53.93% of the runs.