New Zealand will meet India in the 2023 World Cup semifinal on November 15 at the Wankhede stadium. This will be their eighth World Cup semi-final appearance, and the fourth successive appearance after the failure in 2007.
India’s current win-loss record in the semifinals is 3–4. Of four victories, two occurred in 1983 and 2011, when the Men in Blue went on to win the competition; the other occurred in 2003, when they lost to Australia in the championship match.
Having stated that, let us examine the best five strikes made by an Indian batsman during the men’s ODI World Cup semifinals.
5. Ravindra Jadeja – 77 vs New Zealand (2019)
India was suffering at 92/6 in the 31st over of the 2019 World Cup quarterfinals in Manchester, where they were chasing 240. Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat. In an attempt to clear the ropes, he and MS Dhoni proceeded to pair for 106 runs until the all-rounder was removed in the 48th over.
Jadeja did a fantastic job playing his part, scoring 77 off just 59 deliveries. Now he had to play the big shot with 14 deliveries remaining and 32 runs to score. India finally lost by eighteen runs in the match.
4. Sachin Tendulkar – 65 vs Sri Lanka (1996)
Another fantastic knock that was in vain is Sachin Tendulkar’s half-century against Sri Lanka during the 1996 ODI World Cup. With India chasing 252, the right-handed hitter placed the club in a commanding position. After hitting 65 off of 88 balls, Sanath Jayasuriya got rid of him at 98/2.
But once Tendulkar was removed from the game, the rest of the batting order came apart like a house of cards. Due to a hostile crowd at Eden Gardens, the match was canceled when India was 120/8, and Sri Lanka was declared the winner.
3. Sandeep Patil – 51 vs England (1983)
Sandeep Patil capitalized on the foundation set by Mohinder Amarnath (46 off 92 balls) and Yashpal Sharma (61 off 115 balls) when batting against the hosts, England. In just 32 deliveries, Patil smashed an explosive 51 runs in a knock that included eight boundaries.
In the early 1980s, when scoring at such a high strike rate was unheard of, this inning was well ahead of its time. With his half-century, India was guaranteed a memorable and successful trip to their first-ever ODI World Cup final. With 32 balls remaining and six wickets in hand, the Men in Blue achieved the 214 runs that England had set as their objective.
2. Sachin Tendulkar – 85 vs Pakistan (2011)
Another great knock that also went in vain was the 50 of Sachin Tendulkar against Sri Lanka at the 1996 ODI World Cup. With India chasing 252, the right-handed batter put the team in a good position. He had 65 scored in 88 balls and was dismissed by Sanath Jayasuriya at 98/2.
In the semi-finals, the renowned cricketer struck 85 runs in 115 balls against Pakistan, their bitter rivals. This helped India reach a strong 260 runs, which was sufficient to win as Pakistan was dismissed for 231.
1. Sourav Ganguly – 111 vs Kenya (2003)
The only three-figure score by an Indian in an ODI World Cup semi-final is still Sourav Ganguly’s undefeated century against Kenya in 2003. Ganguly was in excellent form at the 2003 tournament, with 465 runs overall, only surpassed by Tendukar (673). He hit three centuries.
Actually, Sachin Tendulkar struck 83 against Kenya in the same semi-final. With 270 runs scored in the first innings, the Ganguly-led team easily triumphed by 91 runs.
