Throughout the course of the 1990s, India’s standing in the global game experienced a revolution, turbocharged by a passion for one-day international cricket

By the time the 1999 World Cup rolled around, expectations were lofty. Having fallen short when co-hosting the tournament in 1996, they came to England boasting healthy balance of experience and youth with Sachin Tendulkar well into his lengthy period at the very top of the game.

They were right to believe that they had every chance to lift the trophy again, having saluted at Lord’s the previous time the competition was decided there in 1983.

But it wasn’t to be. The Men in Blue had it in them to pile on bulk runs on but not to do so consistently enough.

While they were good enough to eliminate England with a superb performance at the end of the group stage, that came after Zimbabwe had shocked them – a result which came back to bite in the Super Six standings.

Then, when running into Australia in red-hot form, their chances of glory were dashed.

But alongside the other Asian teams in the tournament, India brought a lot more than wins and losses alone to this World Cup.

Their passionate fans packed out every ground where they played, from tiny county postage stamps to the bigger Test venues. With this support away from home becoming a permanent feature, it is said that after Ninety9 India never truly played an away game again.

Harsha Bhogle has been the voice of Indian cricket for three decades and in 1999 was following the carnival around the country as a leading television caller and host.

He joins World Cup Ninety9 to discuss the decade that changed everything for India cricket an the tournament could have been, but wasn’t quite.

This is the greatest season that was.

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