Top 5 knocks by an Indian in men's ODI World Cup semi-finals ft. Ravindra Jadeja
India will face New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semi-final on November 15 at the Wankhede Stadium. It will be their eighth appearance in an ODI World Cup semi-final, and their fourth consecutive appearance since the failure in 2007.
Currently, India have a 3-4 win-loss record in semi-finals. Two of those wins came in 1983 and 2011, when the Men in Blue went on to win the tournament, and the other came in 2003, where they were beaten by Australia in the final.
With that being said, let's look at the top five knocks by an Indian batter in the men's ODI World Cup semi-finals.
#5 Ravindra Jadeja - 77 vs New Zealand (2019)
In the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup, chasing 240 in Manchester, India were struggling at 92/6 when Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat in the 31st over. He and MS Dhoni then went on to stitch a 106-run partnership before the all-rounder was dismissed in the 48th over, in an attempt to clear the ropes.
Jadeja scored 77 off just 59 deliveries and played his part exceedingly well. With 32 runs still to get from 14 deliveries, he was forced to play the big shot. India eventually lost the game by 18 runs.
#4 Sachin Tendulkar - 65 vs Sri Lanka (1996)
Sachin Tendulkar's half-century against Sri Lanka at the 1996 ODI World Cup is another great knock that went in vain. The right-handed batter put the team in a strong position with India chasing 252. He scored 65 in 88 balls before being dismissed by Sanath Jayasuriya at 98/2.
However, the rest of the batting order collapsed like a house of cards after Tendulkar's wicket fell. The match was called off when India were 120/8 due to the crowd becoming violent at the Eden Gardens, and Sri Lanka were awarded the win.
#3 Sandeep Patil - 51 vs England (1983)
Batting against hosts England, Sandeep Patil capatilized from the foundation laid by Mohinder Amarnath (46 off 92 balls) and Yashpal Sharma (61 off 115 balls). Patil scored a quickfire 51 in just 32 deliveries in a knock featuring eight boundaries.
This inning was way ahead of its time in the early 1980s, when scoring at such a high strike rate was unheard of. His half-century ensured that India would reach their first ever ODI World Cup final in some style. The Men in Blue met the 214-run target set by England with 32 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar - 85 vs Pakistan (2011)
Sachin Tendulkar was playing in his sixth ODI World Cup in 2011 when he finally laid his hands on the coveted trophy for the first time in his career. Almost 38 years of age at the time, Tendulkar was the second-highest run-getter of the tournament with 482 runs in nine matches, just behind Tilakaratne Dilshan (500).
The legendary cricketer scored 85 in 115 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-finals. This propelled India to a solid total of 260 runs, which proved to be enough for the win as Pakistan were bundled out for 231.
#1 Sourav Ganguly - 111 vs Kenya (2003)
Sourav Ganguly's unbeaten century against Kenya in the 2003 ODI World Cup remains the only three-figure score by an Indian in a semi-final of an ODI World Cup. Ganguly was in fine touch at the 2003 edition, as he registered three centuries and scored a total of 465 runs, only bettered by Tendukar (673).
In fact, Tendulkar also scored 83 in the same semi-final against Kenya. The Ganguly-led side put up 270 runs in the first innings, and won comfortably by 91 runs.