A glance at team India’s performance in ICC Champions Trophy over the years

As the top eight teams compete to be crowned champions, all eyes will be on Team India, especially since the team is scheduled to play arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23.

Hyderabad: With the 9th edition of the ICC Champions Trophy kicking off on Wednesday, as Pakistan clashes with New Zealand, cricket fans across the world are in for a feast.

As the top eight teams compete to be crowned champions, all eyes will be on Team India, especially since the team is scheduled to play arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23.

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While India will look to avenge the crushing 180-run defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the final of the last edition of the Champions Trophy, fans will be eager to witness India triumph over their arch-rivals.

That said, India has performed fairly well in the Champions Trophy over the years, with four appearances in the final and two titles in eight editions of the ICC tournament.

Here is a glance at how the team has performed in each edition of the tournament:

• 1998 (Bangladesh): In the first edition of the tournament, then called the ICC KnockOut Trophy, the Indian team, led by Mohammed Azharuddin, reached the semi-finals but lost to the West Indies.

• 2000 (Kenya): Led by Sourav Ganguly, India reached the final but lost to New Zealand.

• 2002 (Sri Lanka): Sourav Ganguly once again led the team to the final of the rebranded “Champions Trophy.” With rain washing out both the scheduled day and the reserve day of the final, finalists India and Sri Lanka were declared joint winners of the trophy.

• 2004 (England): Following a dismal performance and a loss to Pakistan, India made a group-stage exit in this edition of the Champions Trophy.

• 2006 (India): As the host nation, India failed to improve upon their previous performance and suffered another group-stage exit. Rahul Dravid was the captain.

• 2009 (South Africa): Led by MS Dhoni, India was knocked out in the group stage for the third consecutive time in 2009.

• 2013 (England and Wales): The MS Dhoni-led team turned things around in this edition with a famous win over hosts England in the final. The team went undefeated in the tournament, lifting the cup for the second time.

• 2017 (England and Wales): The team suffered a crushing 180-run defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the final.