World Cup: Tracing India's performance in opening match across editions
The World Cup 2019 is already underway, as two-time champions India would be participating in the event for the 12th time. As they prepare to take on South Africa in their opening game on June 5, it would be interesting to see which players get a spot in XI. Meanwhile, let us look at their performance in the opener across the editions to date.
Losing start in the first two editions
The campaigns of the 1975 and 1979 editions of the Cricket World Cup saw India getting off to a dreadful start. Being minnows back then, India lost their first-ever World Cup match to hosts England, by a massive margin of 202 runs. The next edition too did not see any change in fortunes as they were humbled by West Indies.
India give it back to West Indies
Following twin successive failure, India managed to turn things around in the next edition. They once again faced the champions of the previous two editions, West Indies, in their opener, and managed to outplay them by 34 runs. While it was the perfect and shocking start to the campaign for India, they also beat them again in the final by 43 runs. Irony certainly!
Consecutive opening losses in next two editions
The following two editions did not see a promising start from India again. In 1987, they lost their opener to eventual champions Australia by just a run in a heart-breaking thriller, while they reached the semis. The following edition in 1992, they suffered a similar fate to England, losing by just by nine runs, while they were ousted in the group stage.
A winning start to 1996
The 1996 edition in Asia, saw India getting off to a winning start against minnows Kenya. The match, being played at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, saw India restricting Kenya to just 199, while India managed to chase it down by seven wickets. However, they were knocked out in the semis by Sri Lanka, where we witnessed the infamous crowd violence at Eden Gardens.
Another losing start in England
Although India's last World Cup visit to England prior to 1999 was a fruitful one, they were denied a happy welcome by South Africa. The match saw Proteas restricting India to a fair total of 253, but it was their batsmen, who made sure that the Indian bowlers don't get the better of them and went on to beat them by four wickets.
A head start in one of India's promising World Cups
One of India's promising World Cup campaigns was the 2003 edition in South Africa. Facing minnows the Netherlands in their opener, it was expected to be a smooth run for India. However, India were bowled out for a low total of 204. Nonetheless, the bowlers made sure that they don't give a chance to the Dutch batsmen, as they were bundled for 136.
Horror start to forgetful campaign
Although no one wants to remember this edition, many do. The 2007 edition of the event was indeed horrific for Team India. Playing minnows Bangladesh in the opener, India were all-out favorites for a win. However, Bangladesh bowlers did the unthinkable, restricting India to just 191. Later, their batsmen made sure that they chase the average total down and win by five wickets.
A promising start to the following editions
Reeling from the 2007 howler, the team made sure that they improvise and they did so in the upcoming editions. The 2011 edition saw them earning their payback over Bangladesh in the opener by 87 runs in Dhaka, as they went on to become the champions for the second time. The 2015 edition too saw a similar start, taming arch-rivals Pakistan by 76 runs.
