India, Feb. 3 -- It didn't take long for the ICC KnockOut Trophy to veer from its stated objective of pitting the eight best teams in the world against each other. The second edition, played in Nairobi in 2000, featured 11 teams including hosts Kenya, the only non-Test outfit in the competition who were put in their place in the pre-quarterfinals, by eight wickets, by Sourav Ganguly's India.

The match-fixing scandal had reared its ugly head just a few months previously and the lay Indian fan was both disappointed and disillusioned. To win their faith back was paramount, and India got a great immediate chance to do so against 50-over World Cup champions Australia in the quarterfinals.

Not for the first time in his career, Sachin Tendulka...