Biggest What ifs of indian cricket??

[Gollum]

26 minutes ago, diga said:

Rameshs last series was against Srilanka.They had to accomodate VVS, Sehwag, Deep Dasgupta and Connor Williams from Baroda during the whimsical zonal selections in the next series against Saffers and he was the fall guy..

 

Very few test matches in the early 2000s and once he was dropped,he had no way to come back

He top scored in the warm-up matches before 2003-04 BGT. Got dropped to play Aakash Chopra. 

[Laaloo]

3 hours ago, Lord said:

Wht if we won the toss in 2023 final

We would have lost. We batted first in the group stage and only made 140. We probably would have made 270 in the final and Aus would have chased it down.

[Laaloo]

Just now, Laaloo said:

We would have lost. We batted first in the group stage and only made 140. We probably would have made 270 in the final and Aus would have chased it down.

@Lord nvm I thought you were talking about 2003 WC final lol

[SecondSlip]

What if India batted first in the 2017 Champions Trophy final? 

[Ultimate_Game]

On 6/14/2026 at 1:50 PM, govinda said:

What if rohit instead of hitting ball in air punches it to long off in 2023 final??

What if sachin didn't recommand msd for captaincy??

What if kohli retired in 2022 from test cricket??

What if we played fifth test of 2021 eng tour??

 

On 6/14/2026 at 2:25 PM, vvvslaxman said:

MSD run out was a notable  what if moment.  MSD was setting himself up against to take down Jimmy Neesham in 50th over. 

 

My two biggest "what if" moments of Indian cricket are:

 

1. 2023 WC final. That was such a gimme. We win the toss or Rohit bats a bit longer and we win the cup.

 

2. That Dhoni runout in 2019 SF. No direct hit and I would back Dhoni to hit a couple of 6s in the last over and win it. That was such a lucky dismissal for NZ. They got all the breaks that match - toss, rain, umpires call on DRS, direct hit from boundary etc. Plus Kohli decided to drop Shami, our best bowler, to fit in useless Chahal We win that match and Eng was there for the taking on that pitch in the final.

[kosingh]

What if Sachin Tendulkar was born a Pakistani?

[NameGoesHere]

If Atul Sharma could actually bowl 100mph thunderbolts 

[The Hound]

On 6/15/2026 at 12:43 PM, Lord said:

25 in 9 with tailender at other end. Practically needed to face all deliveries and still it way too tough given his form 

Neesham is a buffet bowler, had he got all 6 deliveries of his last over scoring 20-22 wasn't that hard. 

[Lord]

5 hours ago, The Hound said:

Neesham is a buffet bowler, had he got all 6 deliveries of his last over scoring 20-22 wasn't that hard. 

 

When last did Dhoni score 22 in last over in internationals?

[NameGoesHere]

On 6/17/2026 at 1:20 PM, NameGoesHere said:

If Atul Sharma could actually bowl 100mph thunderbolts 

What a jumbo jet sized KLPD that was.

 

I think the whole nation had a gigantinormous boner, even the women fans.

2009, and here’s a 100mph bowler certified by a white coach no less! Selected by Rajasthan Royals!!

 

We were like - ab ao, phaad denge sabki pancho.

 

And then it collapsed along with our boners. 
 

I was like that local gunda who’s all macho style and threatening everyone, and who then suddenly looks around to see his entire backup has vanished….

[Tillu]

What if Razzaq caught Sachin during his 98(75) at Centurion.

 

What if Pakistan didn't drop the umpteen catches of Sachin at the Mohali Semifinal in the 2011 world cup

 

What if the umpire didn't No ball Mohd Nawaz at the MCG in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Would Kohli still win the match?

 

What if the boundary cushions were not pulled in at the 2024 T20 World Cup final? Would SKY still catch the ball without stepping over the boundary line?

 

What if Sanju was caught by Harry Brooks when he hardly scored 10+ runs. Would we still win the 2026 T20 World Cup semi final?

[putrevus]

Biggest what if umpire did not give that LBW in 2019 semi to Kohli.

 

Other what ifs Bumrah showed up in ICC test finals and in 4th innings of three  deciding tests in SA and England in 2021. India would have won test series wins in every country under Kohli.Not to mention him not doing anything in 50 overs ICC knocks out.

[Ultimate_Game]

At the end of the day our biggest regret has been batting stars not carrying out their part of the bargain. Despite bowlers doing their best and despite Bumrah and peak Shami they couldn't do anything. Falling to 5/3 while chasing 239 in 2019 or getting cleaned up for 240 on an absolute patta in 2023 is what we're left with.

 

If we had gone with youngsters and backed IPL & domestic performers the way we started doing post 2023 with likes of Axar, Dube and Ishan, we wouldn't be hearing excuses like "one bad day", "30 mins of bad luck", "one poor session" etc. and would've trophies to show the way Aussies do. Our legacy, thanks to under-achieving batting stars has been a legacy of excuses and what could've been instead of trophies.

 

Aussie bowlers (Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc) have 2 WC trophies whereas Bumrah and Shami have 0 thanks to Aussie batters like Head and Smith showing up whereas ours flattered to deceive when it really mattered. Just one impactful knock or raising their game once like Aussie counterparts would've won us a trophy or two but alas that's asking too much of our batting maharathis who've "nothing to prove" 

[BCCISelector]

What if Kohli lbw was given not out in 2019 semi final?

What if Hardik was rested against Bangladesh in 2023 WC?

What if Bavuma elected to bowl first in overcast Kolkata in 2023 semi final?

[Stan AF]

On 6/19/2026 at 7:00 PM, putrevus said:

Biggest what if umpire did not give that LBW in 2019 semi to Kohli.

 

Other what ifs Bumrah showed up in ICC test finals and in 4th innings of three  deciding tests in SA and England in 2021. India would have won test series wins in every country under Kohli.Not to mention him not doing anything in 50 overs ICC knocks out.

 

Kohli was out. He couldn't deliver when it mattered. That is a fact.

 

Maybe kohli was a bad captain, cause once he was gone Bumrah won 2 t20 wcs for India. 

[singhvivek141]

What if
1. Umpire actually gave LBW to Ricky Ponting in 2003 WC finale. No loss hurt more than that one, we play like Hector only to be stopped by Achilles
2. Shami played the 2019 WC SF against NZ instead of Lord Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
3. Siraj shared the new ball with Bumrah in the 2023 ODI WC finale, Shami was an incredible bowler even as a one change. But Siraj is hopeless when the bowl stops swinging. After the initial 10 overs when we pushed Australia to 40/3...Siraj never turned up.

[singhvivek141]

Another What if
1. Azhar, jadeja and co didn't do match fixing. We may have never gotten a chance to see Ganguly as captain (Jadeja was next in line)...probably likes of Yuvi, Kaif, Zak, Nehra, MSD may have never played for India (or may have played past their sell date).

[Vk1]

On 6/17/2026 at 8:02 AM, kosingh said:

What if Sachin Tendulkar was born a Pakistani?

If it was same sachin.. we would still show enormous respect 

Edited July 14 by Vk1

[putrevus]

5 hours ago, Stan AF said:

 

Kohli was out. He couldn't deliver when it mattered. That is a fact.

 

Maybe kohli was a bad captain, cause once he was gone Bumrah won 2 t20 wcs for India. 

Don't start this nonsense. 

 

If Bumrah was even decent India would have both 2019 and 2023.

 

 

Edited July 14 by putrevus

[Stan AF]

7 minutes ago, putrevus said:

Don't start this nonsense. 

 

If Bumrah was even decent India would have both 2019 and 2023.

 

 

The only nonsense here that you fail to acknowledge is Kohli flopping in both and you blaming bumrah for everything 

 

Grow up .