Super Six: India’s greatest World Cup matches

The quadrennial festival of cricket, the ICC Cricket World Cup is here and it would perhaps be an ideal time to visit England, do a bit of sightseeing and watch India try and win their third World Cup title. And when you are travelling abroad, remember to carry your Axis Bank Multi-Currency Forex Card.

As India beat Pakistan at the ICC World Cup 2019 match held at Old Trafford, Manchester continuing their winning streak; we look at India’s best World Cup performances over the years.

• India vs Zimbabwe, 1983: Kapil Dev drags India to the semis
  Having won their first two matches and lost the following two, India needed to win their next two matches against Zimbabwe and Australia to make it to the semi-finals. However, a seaming wicket at Turnbridge Wells saw India being reduced to 17 for 5, before Indian skipper Kapil Dev played one of the greatest ODI innings ever, scoring 175 not out from 138 balls to propel India to 288 for 8. The next highest scorer was wicket keeper Syed Kirmani with 24 runs. The total was enough to beat Zimbabwe by 31 runs.
• India vs West Indies, 1983: Kapil’s Devils lift the cup
  June 25, 1983, was the day everything changed for Indian cricket. India had managed to reach the World Cup final, an achievement so unexpected that the odds of them defeating two-time Champions West Indies in the finals were at 66-1. These odds seemed to be justified as the Indian innings folded up for a mere 183, with Kris Srikkanth being the highest scorer at 38. At 50 for 1, West Indies seemed to be cruising to victory, especially with Vivian Richards batting in sublime form. Then Desmond Haynes got out to Madan Lal before Kapil Dev pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss the imperial Richards. West Indies then, incredibly collapsed to be all out at 140. India were world champions.
• India vs Pakistan, 1996: Crossing the line of control
  World Cup or not, a match between India and Pakistan is a thing to watch. India had moved to 236 for 6 in 46 overs over, thanks to Navjot Sidhu’s patient 93. It seemed like they would end up with an ordinary total. That was before Ajay Jadeja decided to toy with Waqar Younis in the latter’s ninth over. He hit him for three fours and a six to score 45 off 25 balls and propel India to 287 in 50 overs. Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar came out all guns blazing and scored at over 8 runs an over before Anwar was out for 48 off just 32 balls. It was then that Sohail committed the biggest mistake of his cricketing career. After hitting Venkatesh Prasad for a boundary, he gestured to the boundary with his bat. This turned on a switch in the mild-mannered Prasad, who bowled out Sohail the very next ball, and let loose a diatribe that could be heard across the world. Pakistan were shell-shocked and never recovered from there, losing the match by 39 runs.
• India vs England, 2003: Nehra schools England in seam bowling
  Ashish Nehra is not the fastest cricketer in the world but on February 26, 2003, no one could catch him, not his teammates as he took off after every wicket, and definitely not the English, who didn’t know what the ball was doing. After India posted 250 for 9, England were at 28 for 2 in the 12th over. Nehra came on to bowl in the 13th over and changed the game. He dismissed England skipper Nasser Hussain and the dangerous Alec Stewart in consecutive deliveries before taking out Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood. Andrew Flintoff was holding strong with a 64 but Nehra ensured that there was no support for him as he dismissed Craig White and Ronnie Irani to end up with 6 for 23 and propelling India to an 82-run win.
• India vs Australia, 2011: Knocking out the champions
  Australia are the John Wick of the Cricket World Cup. They eliminate everybody in their path. They had won the World Cup thrice in a row since 1999. When India faced them in the quarter-finals, they knew they had to play out of their skins to win this game. India’s old nemesis Ricky Ponting was the top scorer with a century as the Aussies racked up 260 in their 50 overs. India’s batsmen kept getting off to starts but no one held anchor. When Gambhir and Dhoni departed within 20 runs of each other, it looked tough. But Yuvraj Singh held firm with an unbeaten 57 to go with his two wickets earlier in the day, and in the company of Suresh Raina took India home.
• India vs Sri Lanka, 2011: The new order is here
  This was India’s best chance to win the World Cup. A team with an ice-cool captain, the world’s greatest batsman, the world’s most dangerous opener, an all-rounder who was in the form of his life and a left-arm swing bowler who seemed to have the ball on a string. Sri Lanka batted first and put up a very competitive 274, on the back of a brilliant 103 not out by Mahela Jayawardene, at the end of their 50 overs. India lost her openers early but Gautam Gambhir stood tall with a gritty 97. The show stealer, however, was MS Dhoni. He promoted himself over Yuvraj Singh in order to keep the left-right combination going and effortlessly switched gears towards the end of the match. He smacked Lasith Malinga for two boundaries in the 48th four before launching a six in the next one to seal India’s win and bring the World Cup to India.

While visiting England to watch the ICC World Cup 2019 matches, carry the Axis Bank Multi-Currency Forex Card. You can use this pre-paid Forex Card to make hassle-free payments. What’s more, it also protects you from currency fluctuations, is valid for multiple trips and makes you eligible for special offers.

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