How many World Cups have India won? A walkthrough of triumphant campaigns

The Indian cricket team is one of the most successful sides in the history of the sport.

Team India’s top reputation in the cricket world dates back to 1932 when India became the sixth nation to receive Test cricket status.

Since then, following several transitions in the landscape of Indian cricket, the 1970s saw the emergence of players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Bishen Singh Bedi among others, who got home the country’s first-ever World Cup in 1983 against all odds.

Since then, the Indian cricket team has won a T20 World Cup in 2007 and continued their resurgence with yet another 50-over World Cup four years later in 2011.

With a total of three World Cup crowns, here’s a breakdown of each victory.

How many World Cups have India won

The 1983 World Cup

The first-ever ODI World Cup was played in 1975, which saw a formidable West Indies side with the likes of Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Bernard Julien, clinch the trophy after defeating Australia in the final. They roared to glory again in the following edition in 1979 with yet another dominating performance throughout the tournament.

As far as Team India is concerned, they crashed out of the group stage each time out with a string of mediocre performances.

Nonetheless, all-rounder Kapil Dev guided India to their first World Cup crown in 1983. The team made its intentions clear with a statement 34-run win over two-time defending champions Windies. They made it all the way through, defeating West Indies again in the final by 43 runs to lift their maiden trophy.

The memorable win marked the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket, which started to garner widespread popularity among the masses following a stunning World Cup campaign.

The 2007 T20 World Cup

The inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 saw the young Indian side led by MS Dhoni emerge victorious with some incredible performances throughout the competition.

Team India progressed by defeating Pakistan in the do-or-die contest through bowl-out after a nervy opening round.

The Lalchand Rajput-coached side made it through the Super 8s as well with two consecutive wins in three matches, following a close 10-run loss to New Zealand.

India gained a much-needed boost in confidence when they got the better of an in-form Australian side in the semi-final, who were fresh from their third 50-over World Cup triumph on the trot earlier that year.

In the final encounter against Pakistan, Team India prevailed in a thrilling last-over finish, where pacer Joginder Sharma defended 13 runs and took Misbah-ul-Haq’s wicket to help his side win the first World T20 title.

The 2011 World Cup

India won their second ODI World Cup in 2011, where former skipper MS Dhoni once again led from the front.

After four wins out of six in the group stage, India faced a daunting task against Australia in the quarter-finals. In addition to half-centuries by Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh produced a top-notch all-round performance to breeze past the Aussies by five wickets.

In the semi-final against Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar’s fifty and a resilient bowling display helped the Indian team storm into the final with a 29-run win.

The final against Sri Lanka was staged at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sri Lanka posted 274/6 thanks to Mahela Jayawardene’s unbeaten ton. In reply, Team India lost two early wickets in the form of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. 

Under pressure, Gautam Gambhir (97) and Virat Kohli (35) steadied the ship before MS Dhoni’s 91* powered his side to their second World Cup and the first in 28 years.

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh was awarded the Player of the Series award for scoring 362 runs and scalping 15 wickets.

Photo credit: Alamy