Throwback: India in T20 World Cup semi-finals

Team India will be locking horns with England in the second semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval, hoping to clinch a berth in the following round that would decide the fate of the world’s crown.

This, however, is not the first time that the Men in Blue will be playing a T20 World Cup semi-final. They have appeared in three semis so far and the English rivalry will be their fourth. If someone asks, how good has India been in the penultimate rounds, well, the numbers suggest a staggering 66.67 percent.

Out of the three semi-finals played by India in the T20 World Cup, they won 2 of them that came against Australia in 2007 and South Africa in 2014. However, the latest one that they featured in was back in 2016 when they were up against the mighty men from the Caribbean. Here are India’s three semi-final appearances at a glimpse.

1.    2007 vs Australia, Durban; India won by 15 runs

In a crackerjack semi-final, India was up against Australia and standing tall in unfamiliar territory, as two of their openers walked back to the pavilion for unexpected numbers. As doom heralded, Yuvraj Singh came blasting out at the highest decibels of all and Robin Uthappa played the perfect anchor at the other end to punish the Australian bowlers. On a night of magic and belief, despite the Indian bowlers going for a few early runs, Sreesanth outclassed the reckoning Roos, cannoning past the defences of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden to cripple the latter’s chase. Despite a sturdy partnership between Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds, the Australians couldn’t cross the line and the Men in Blue scripted history in the very first edition.

2.    2014 vs South Africa, Mirpur, India won by 6 wickets

It was a famished Proteas side and the South Africans were hungry for blood. The Indian bowlers could do very little to extinguish the fire in their counterparts’ bellies as current RCB captain, Faf du Plessis hammered a blistering 58 while JP Duminy powered to a well-fought 45. Coming out to bat, India had a decent start but the South African pace unit led by an in-form Dale Steyn kept things under wrap. As Rohit Sharma fell early, it was Virat Kohli who took over the reins from there and motored along with the other Indian batters, rolling the momentum in the best possible manner. It was the burst in the final few overs, where the King came to life and took out the Proteas with extreme prejudice as India scripted a remarkable win by 6 wickets.

3.    2016 vs West Indies, Mumbai, West Indies won by 7 wickets

Not much could have been talked about India’s bowling on a day, barring Virat Kohli’s dismissal of Johnson Charles, but India had a lot of talking points with the bat in their hand. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane got off to a phenomenal start and piled up significant pressure on the Caribbean bowlers. After a sublime opening partnership, it was Virat Kohli’s 47-ball-89 that set the tempo for India’s grandstand finish with the bat. Despite Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra’s early infringements, India failed to capitalise on a great start and the Islanders crawled their way back to the game and sealed an emphatic win in the end. They would also eventually go on to become the champions of the world, defeating England in the final at Eden Gardens.