Buoyed by their unbeaten run in the league stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, a relentless Indian cricket team will look to make it to their third final as they take on a familiar rivals in New Zealand at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. (Streaming | Scorecard | Preview | Full Coverage)
The 2019 Manchester heartbreak might still be lingering in a corner of the hosts' mind as an irritant. However, Rohit Sharma's side are out to put that memory behind them and start afresh in this mouth-watering tie against Kane Williamson's New Zealand.
Following are the India's last-four performances at the Cricket World Cup over the years and how did they fare:
ICC ODI World Cup 1983
The West Indies cricket team were looking for a hat-trick of World Cup titles and coming into the 1983 edition, they seemingly looked favourites for it. India were pooled alongside the men from the Caribbean and after six games, the two sides finished 1-2 over the likes of Australia and Zimbabwe. The Kapil Dev-led side took on hosts England in the semis whereas West Indies faced Pakistan in the other knock out tie. England won the toss and opted to bat first in Manchester and the decision backfired for the hosts. Kapil Dev took three wickets whereas Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath scalped two each to bundle out the English for 213. In reply, India did stutter but eventually reached the target and won it comfortably in the end. India reached the final of the tournament, wherein Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath starred with the ball as India lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time.
ICC ODI World Cup 1987
The fourth edition was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan. Kapil Dev led his side as they comfortably topped their group and eventually qualify for the knockout stage. However, India came up short as Graham Gooch's 115 helped English beat India by 35 runs at Wankhede Stadium.
Also Read: IND Vs NZ Semi-Final, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: New Zealand's Last-Four Performances Over The Years
ICC ODI World Cup 1996
At the sixth edition of the World Cup, India went in as slight favourites as they were the co-hosts alongside Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Mohammed Azharuddin was the skipper in this edition and India finished third in their group and eventually qualified for the quarter-finals. There, they met arch-rivals Pakistan and thanks to Venkatesh Prasad's heroic bowling (3/45), India defeated the Men In Green by 39 runs. In the semis, India met Sri Lanka who posted a formidable 251 on the board. In reply, after the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, an angry Kolkata crowd reacted by pelting stones and bottles on the field. Eventually, India handed the game to the Islanders.
ICC ODI World Cup 2003
At the eight edition of the ODI World Cup, India were pooled alongside Australia, England, Pakistan amongst others. India finished second in the pool and qualified for the Super Sixes. There, the Sourav Ganguly-led side finished behind Australia and thanks to that, India faced tournament's surprise package, Kenya in the semis. Ganguly smashed an unbeaten 107 as India qualified for the finals. But they were eventually beaten by the Australian juggernaut.
ICC ODI World Cup 2011
After a dissapointing end to the 2007 World Cup, the MS Dhoni-led Team India looked to bury the past and start afresh in the tenth edition. The Men In Blue finished second in their group behind South Africa. India went on to play Australia. An Yuvraj Singh masterclass helped them progress further to the semis where they collided against Pakistan. After a fierce battle between the two on the pitch, India ran away with the win and would eventually play Sri Lanka in the final. "And Dhoni finishes off in style" were the words from Ravi Shastri on-air as India thumped Sri Lanka to win only their second World Cup title.
Also Read: India Vs New Zealand Semi-Final, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Manchester United, Real Madrid Football Icon David Beckham To Watch IND Vs NZ Mumbai Showdown - Report
ICC ODI World Cup 2015
In the eleventh edition, MS Dhoni's side went into the tournament as reigning champions. But after a formidable show in the group stages, Team India qualified for the quarter-finals and defeated Bangladesh by 109 runs. In the semis, the Men In Blue could not cope with the Aussie pace attack and lost by 95 runs.
ICC ODI World Cup 2019
The twelth edition saw the captaincy reins being handed over to Virat Kohli. The Men In Blue were one of the favourites for the tournament but after good showing in the group stage, Kohli's men crumbled under the Kiwi pressure as Kane Williamson's side prevailed, thanks to their 18-run win in the semi-final.
