What is Team India's record in ODI World Cup semi-finals?
Team India will face New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. The two sides had also met in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, with the Kiwis getting the better of the Men in Blue by 18 runs in Manchester. India will be hoping for a change in fortunes this time.
Hosts India had a terrific run in the league stage of the 2023 World Cup. They won all of their nine matches and topped the point table - the only side to not lose a single game.
Team India began their campaign with a six-wicket win over Australia and went on to crush the challenge offered by most of the other opponents. New Zealand, though, did give them a tough fight, but Rohit Sharma and co. eventually eked out a four-wicket win in Dharamsala.
Overall, though, the Black Caps have had the wood over India in ICC events, especially in crunch clashes, something the hosts would like to change with a win in Mumbai.
India will be featuring in their eighth ODI World Cup semi-final
When they take the field against New Zealand on Wednesday, Team India will be featuring in their eighth Men’s ODI World Cup semi-final. Of the previous seven knockout clashes, they have won three and lost four.
India beat England by six wickets in the 1983 World Cup semi-final in Manchester. Kapil Dev claimed 3/35 as India held the Englishmen to 213 bowling first. Yashpal Sharma (61), Sandeep Patil (51*), and Mohinder Amarnath (46) then helped India chase the target with ease.
In 1987, India went down to England by 35 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Batting first, England put up 254/6 on the board on the back of a brilliant hundred from Graham Gooch (115). The hosts were all out for 219 in response.
The 1996 World Cup semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was a forgettable one for India. Chasing 252, they crumbled from 98/1 to 120/8. Crowd disturbance did not allow the match to continue and Sri Lanka were declared winners by default.
In 2003, the Men in Blue hammered Kenya by 91 runs in the semi-final in Durban. Sourav Ganguly scored 111, while Sachin Tendulkar contributed 83 as India put up 270/4 and then held Kenya to 179. Zaheer Khan (3/14) starred with the ball for India.
In 2011, India got the better of Pakistan by 29 runs in Mohali. Batting first, Team India scored 260/9 as Tendulkar contributed a defiant 85. Five Indian bowlers then claimed two scalps each as Pakistan were bowled out for 231.
India have lost the last two ODI World Cup semi-finals they have featured in. They went down to Australia by 95 runs in Sydney as Steven Smith slammed 105.
The Men in Blue crumbled in a chase of 240 against New Zealand in Manchester in 2019. They lost three wickets for five runs and despite a fightback led by Ravindra Jadeja (77) and MS Dhoni (50) fell short in the end.