Remember, we have been there before

The tag of unpredictability sits pretty on Pakistan 8212; the team even thrives on this premise. Conjectures involving India on the other hand are far less flamboyant

The tag of unpredictability sits pretty on Pakistan 8212; the team even thrives on this premise. Conjectures involving India on the other hand are far less flamboyant, the popular estimates more conservative 8212; driven by emotion and memories of the last televised match, but still conservative. It should then come as a surprise that on the two occasions that India made it to the finals of the premier event, the team saw a highly capricious calendar precede the tournament. India were certainly not the favourites, and the unpredictability of 1983 and 2003 with its swing in fortunes rising from imminent doom, was almost neighbour8217;s envy, owner8217;s pride.

Even Kapil Dev with his carefree swagger wouldn8217;t have imagined making it to the finale at Lord8217;s in 1983 8212; the team travelling to England, modestly hoping to cull in a few wins more than what they had managed in 1979. Or perhaps, only Kapil Dev thought that they could, since he knew what it felt like to beat the champions, slamming a 38-ball 72 and picking 2-33 in Berbice, Guyana when India had managed to steal a rare win against the West Indies just three months ago.

Even then, India went into the World Cup with Test drubbings to England, West Indies and Pakistan in the run-up. They set sail after a low-key 3-0 home one-day series win over small-fry Sri Lanka, and nothing more to talk of. How they turned it on from there and marched into the finals, was a mystery for wide-eyed opponents, a much-chronicled piece of history for the champions.

Cut to 2003, and India inspired very little confidence flying into South Africa after their disastrous tour of New Zealand over an indifferent New Year season before the World Cup got underway in February later. Losing the one-day series 2-5, India had been thread-bared 4-0 at the outset, and managed two consolation wins after the series was conceded.

The batsmen 8212; caught hopping to the moving ball on terrorising pitches 8212; returned home with deflated figures and dented confidence. They carried their patchy form into their first serious game in South Africa against lowly Netherlands and their next match against eventual winners Australia saw them being dismissed for their lowest score in World Cups.

In a stunning comeback, Indian batsmen fought back to erase the troubling memories of the past months and wracked up impressive ripostes against Namibia and England 8212; culminating in Sachin Tendulkar8217;s memorable assault on Shoaib Akhtar and followed that with yet another imposing total to down Sri Lanka in the Super 6. They had even avenged their harrowing defeats against New Zealand to dump them out of contention 8212; beating them at the game of the wide blades.

Conjuring seven wins on the trot, India stormed into the final 8212; faltering miserably at the last hurdle 8212; nevertheless, having made their second final in two decades. While rubbishing pre-tournament, naysaying predictions.