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For a brief moment we thought we'd make it in '96 and we came pretty darn close in '03. But the agonising wait to bring home the Cricket World Cup after 1983 would finally end only in 2011 when MS Dhoni led the Boys in Blue to a six-wicket victory in the World Cup 2011 Final at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
Dhoni hit the Nuwan Kulasekhara delivery over the boundary for a six giving a victory-starved, cricket-crazy, Tendulkar-worshipping nation the picture perfect finish. Exactly a decade-and-a-half since India's humiliating defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka (which until that year was considered an underdog team) after the match was abandoned due to unruly crowd behaviour at Eden Gardens, this was life coming a full circle.
It has been eight years since that day... India v Sri Lanka World Cup 2011 Final
India vs Sri Lanka World Cup 2011 Final: What went down
The Indian Cricket Team had a chance to create history. In front of over 34,000 home supporters inside the intimidating Wankhede Stadium. India was ready.
Although India got a couple of wickets in the beginning, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were slowly building a dangerous partnership. Sri Lanka were sitting pretty at 122 for 2 when man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh broke the pair.
With wickets falling on the other side, veteran Mahela Jayawardene took upon him to stabilise the Lankan innings. He scored a clinical century as Sri Lanka looked poised to post a big total.
The Indian team celebrates as Zaheer Khan takes the scalp of Kapugedera. Two quick wickets meant India was back in the game as the first innings was coming to an end.
India's run chase probably got off to the worst possible start. Malinga took the wicket of Virender Sehwag in the third ball of the innings and it was all tense again inside the Wankhede.
Sachin Tendulkar too got out quickly as Malinga ran riot in the opening overs. India was in deep deep trouble at this moment.
Gautam Gambhir and a young Virat Kohli managed to bring some stability to the Indian innings with their 83 run partnership. Still a lot to do, but India had managed itself to pull out of the rut they were in.
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. MS Dhoni promoted himself to number four after Virat Kohli's dismissal and what a decision it turned out to be. Both Dhoni and Gambhir overcame pain as they built the innings to tilt the game back in India's favour.
Undoubtedly the unsung hero for India in the finals. Gambhir came to the crease when India lost a wicket in the third ball. Although he came pretty close to a century, he had left his mark on the game.
Talk about a true Captain's knock! If Dhoni needed a stage to prove himself, what's better than the World Cup Final. And boy did he deliver? Dhoni anchored India's innings and stuck till the end as India was now in the driving seat.
This moment redefined history for over a billion cricket fans across the world. With 11 balls to spare, Dhoni made quick work of Malinga's full length deliveries, and sealed the game putting an end to a long 28-year wait.
India was the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 champions becoming the first ever team to win it on home soil.
For a country which considered Cricket as its religion, Sachin Tendulkar was arguably its God. And Sachin's long wait had finally come to an end, this image summed up perfectly by Kohli. "He carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, so it is the time we carried him on our shoulders"
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