The Indian team will make its eighth Cricket World Cup semifinal appearance against New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday. India, led by Rohit Sharma, is gearing up for the Cricket World Cup 2023’s first semi-final against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
This marks India’s eighth appearance in the tournament’s semifinals and their third consecutive entry.
Of the seven previous semi-finals, India has secured victories in only three. Let’s review India’s performance in these crucial matches:
1983: In a historic moment for Indian cricket, the team, captained by Kapil Dev, progressed beyond the group stage for the first time in three Cricket World Cup editions.
They delivered a notable performance by defeating England by six wickets in the semifinal in Manchester, successfully chasing a target of 214 runs.
This victory paved the way for India to clinch the 1983 World Cup title by defeating West Indies in the final.
1987: India maintained their impressive performance in the following edition, reaching the semi-final for the second consecutive time.
However, in this instance, England dealt India a 35-run defeat. England, batting first at Wankhede, set a total of 254/6, and subsequently, India was dismissed for 219 runs in response.
1996: Following their failure to advance to the knockout stage in 1992, India made notable progress in the subsequent edition, reaching the semi-finals.
However, in a match against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, with India at 120/8 in 34.1 overs in pursuit of a 252-run target, the game was interrupted by fans. The play could not resume, leading to Sri Lanka being awarded a win by default.
2003: As anticipated, India asserted dominance in the game, defeating Kenya by 91 runs in the semi-final in Durban. Posting a score of 270 for 4 while batting first, India then bowled out Kenya for 179. However, in the final, India faced defeat against Australia.
2011: It was a historic cricket match as traditional rivals India and Pakistan clashed in the semi-final in Mohali. Setting a target of 261, India bowled out Pakistan for 231. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, India went on to win the tournament by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
2015: India fell short in the World Cup semi-final against Australia in Sydney, getting bowled out for 233 in pursuit of a daunting target of 329 runs.
2019: Initially, the 240-run target looked manageable, but it ended up being too tough for India, resulting in their defeat to New Zealand by 18 runs in the Manchester semi-final, stretched over two days due to rain.
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