For a country obsessed with cricket, the year was all about an unforgettable triumph. And a humiliating defeat.

Team India kept entertaining its many fans by playing throughout the year. However, the excess had started taking its toll towards the end of the year with empty stands being the noticeable feature in many matches.

The biggest high was palpably India’s win over Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC World Cup at the Wankhede stadium in April. The triumph marked the end of a long, and seemingly endless, wait.

It was Team India’s second world title, coming 28 years after Kapil Dev had led his team to that famous, albeit unexpected, win in England, and exorcised the ghosts of the Caribbean debacle in 2007.

It also made up for the disappointment of having come up second best to the all-conquering Australian side in the 2003 final.