Playing in the final of an ICC tournament is the dream of every cricketer. The tournaments organized by the International Cricket Council feature the best teams on the planet, and it is quite challenging for the teams to perform consistently in such tournaments.
The four active main tournaments organized by the International Cricket Council are the ICC World Test Championship, Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy. India have won three tournaments. They are yet to capture the WTC Trophy. The Indian side finished runners-up in WTC 2021 Final and they are playing against Australia in WTC 2023 Final right now.
The pressure level is the highest when playing in the finals of such tournaments. Here’s a list of the first Indian batter to score a half-century at the grandest stage.
1. ICC Champions Trophy Final – Sachin Tendulkar
The first Indian to smash a half-century in the final of any tournament organized by the International Cricket Council was Sachin Tendulkar. The right-handed batter achieved the feat in the Champions Trophy 2000 Final against the New Zealand cricket team.
2. ICC T20 World Cup Final – Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir starred in the Men in Blue’s triumph at the inaugural T20 World Cup tournament in South Africa. Playing against arch-rivals Pakistan in the summit clash, Gambhir scored a match-winning half ton for Team India.
3. Cricket World Cup Final – Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni smacked half-centuries for Team India in the final of the 2011 World Cup. Eight years before that, when India took on Australia in the 2003 WC Final, Virender Sehwag became the first Indian to hit a half-century.
4. WTC Final – Ajinkya Rahane
In the ongoing WTC Final between the Indian cricket team and the Australian cricket team, Ajinkya Rahane became the first Indian to score a half-century in the WTC Final. He completed his half-century in style with a six.
