There are team rivalries in cricket that have a lot of other layers rather than just cricket. In fact, those other elements add extra flavor to the equation. The rivalry between India and England is one of those. This age-old rivalry is dated back to the colonial days when India were under the regime of the British Government. India, although claimed their independence long back in 1947, the history never fades away. Winning against England, that too on the British soil is the dream for every Indian cricket lover. The goosebumps they get while singing the National Anthem in England is probably cannot be matched with anything else.
No wonder, World Cup matches between India and England are special. They currently have a neck to neck record in terms of win-loss percentage. In seven matches they played in World Cup so far, both teams won three each with a match ended on a tie. This time both teams have entered the stage as the favorites and have all the potential to clinch the title. While the two teams will meet each other on June 30 for World Cup 2019 clash, let’s reminisce the previous seven times they encountered.
1975: Inauspicious Beginning
India and England technically inaugurated the World Cup. They played the first match of the first World Cup in 1975. A whopping 137 runs by DL Amiss along with Keith Fletcher’s 68 and Chris Old’s 51 off just 30 balls set the stage for England. They scored 334/4 and in reply, India could score 132/3 in 60 overs. Sunil Gavaskar remained unbeaten on 36 of 174 balls which resulted in controversy.
1983: Closer to The Title
Next time India met England in the 1983 World Cup. They met for the semi-final at Manchester. Batting first this time England could score a mere 214 runs. Kapil Dev took three wickets and Roger Binny scalped two. India easily chased down the target in 54.4 overs, thanks to two half-centuries by Yashpal Sharma (61) and Sandip Patil (51). Mohinder Amarnath also contributed with 46 runs and was Man-of-the-Match, the feat which he would again repeat in the final.
1987: Heartbreak at Home
Once again India and England met in the knock out stage but the outcome was different. A brilliant 115 by Graham Gooch and some contribution from Mike Gatting (56) helped England put a total of 254 runs. Maninder Singh picked up three wickets and Kapil took two. Mohammad Azharuddin tried to chase it down with 64 runs off 74 deliveries. He got support from the middle order but India required another big innings to complete the chase. They eventually fell short of 35 runs. Eddie Hemmings ended with 4/52 and Neil Foster took 3/47.
1992: A Close Encounter
They met on the opening day in a tight encounter. Gooch and Robin Smith with their knock of 51 and 91 respectively set a target of 236/9. Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar, and Javagal Srinath took two wickets each. Dermot Reeve (3/38) and Ian Botham (2/27) ran through the Indian middle order. But India kept on fighting. Ravi Shastri remained not out on 57 off 112 but couldn’t end the match on winning note. India had to lose the match by just nine runs.
1999: The Prince Shines
This match continued for two days, thanks to the English weather. India, batting first put a total of 232/8. Sourav Ganguly scored 40 runs and Rahul Dravid added 53 runs in the course. Darren Gough, Alan Mullally, and Mark Ealham took two wickets each. England failed to chase it down as 36 by Graham Thorpe was their highest score. England were all out for only 169 runs. Sourav Ganguly scalped three wickets with Srinath and Debasis Mohanty picking up two each.
2003: The Best So Far
This World Cup saw India producing a convincing win over England. Indian top order contributed well to set a target of 250/9. Sachin Tendulkar added 50 runs as Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh contributed with 62 and 42 respectively. India lost four wickets on the last four balls although Andy Caddick missed his hat-trick. He finished with 3/69 and Andrew Flintoff took two. The English line up literally collapsed in front of the fiery Indian pace attack. Only Flintoff could score 64 runs but no minimal support from others ended the match for England on 168. Ashish Nehra single-handedly sent almost the entire England team back. He took six wickets in 10 overs by conceding just 23 runs. This is so far the best bowling performance by an Indian in the World Cup.
2011: A Tie
2011 saw the most exciting World Cup contest between India and England. Batting first India put up a formidable 338 in 50 overs. Thanks to another century by the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar (120). The other contributors were Yuvraj (58) and Gautam Gambhir (51). Tim Bresnan took 5/48 to emerge as the star for England. Chasing such a steep target Andrew Straus produced one of the best innings of the World Cup. His 158 was the key reason that England were on the driver’s seat and costing towards victory when Zaheer Khan struck in the 43rd over and took two set batsmen in the back to back deliveries. With some tight bowling, India clawed back to the match. With two runs required from the last ball, Graeme Swann could take only one and the match finished in a thrilling tie.