Later this year, the Cricket World Cup returns after four years away. Back in 2019, England – inspired by the heroics of Ben Stokes — went on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history after a nail-biting victory on home turf against New Zealand. In India, the sport is almost religion-like, and it is in the subcontinent where the competition will be held this year. That in itself is a good omen considering the fact that the hosts have won the tournament in each of the last three installments.
The Men in Blue have won the Cricket World Cup twice in their storied history, with their most recent success coming back in 2011. Online cricket odds providers expect that to change this year as they have made the hosts the 3.20 favourites to lift the trophy this year. But despite those two aforementioned successes, there have been plenty of disappointments over the years as well.
Indian cricket fans have seen their share of ups and downs at the World Cup, with some unforgettable victories and a few crushing losses. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at India’s most disappointing results at the Cricket World Cup that left the fans shattered.
2007 World Cup – India vs. Bangladesh
Back in 2007, India were considered one of the favourites for glory. Their team contained the likes of Schain Tendulkar and MS Dhoni and as such, many of them expected to go deep into the competition. Inexplicably, however, those hopes were all but extinguished in their very first game when they were stunned by lowly Bangladesh in a major upset. The Men in Blue were chasing a target of 192, but they were bowled out for a paltry score of 146, ultimately losing by 5 wickets. The loss was one of the most humiliating results in India’s cricket history, and it led to a period of introspection and restructuring of the Indian cricket team.
2015 World Cup Semi-Final – India vs. Australia
India entered the semifinals of the 2015 World Cup as the defending champions after defeating fellow co hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets in Mumbai. The team hoping to destroy their hopes of successfully reaching a second consecutive final four years later were hosts Australia. The Baggy Greens batted themself into a commanding position, setting their opponents a score of 329 to win a total that looked almost impossible on that day. But when India’s top order was skittled cheaply, their hopes of victory were all but extinguished. The rest of the batting line-up failed miserably. and the Men in Blue were bowled out for 233, giving Australia a lopsided 95-run victory.
2019 World Cup Semi-Final – India vs. New Zealand
India entered the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup as the betting favorites after topping the group stage with seven wins from eight and it looked as though they would take some stopping. New Zealand scraped into the final four after having a better net run rate than Pakistan and they were expected to be swept aside by Virat Kohli and co. Once more, however, India’s top-order collapsed, and the team was left reeling at 92 for 6.
Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni managed to stitch together a partnership to keep India’s hopes alive, but it wasn’t enough to keep a rabid Kiwi’s side at bay. The Men in Blue were ultimately bowled out for 221, some 18 runs shy of the total set by their underdog opponents. The 2019 World Cup semi-final loss was a bitter pill to swallow for Indian cricket fans, who felt that their team had missed a golden opportunity to lift the coveted trophy once more.
1996 World Cup Quarter-Final – India vs. Sri Lanka
India was one of the favorites to win the 1996 World Cup, but their campaign ended abruptly in the quarter-finals against Sri Lanka. India was chasing a target of 252, but they never got going in the chase. The wickets kept falling, and India was bowled out for 120. The loss was shocking and unexpected, and Indian cricket fans were left heartbroken. The 1996 World Cup quarter-final loss to Sri Lanka remains one of India’s most disappointing results at the World Cup.
