Three times India were upset by minnows at the World Cup

The Indian team in its history has played in three World Cup finals, winning the trophy two times. The team has registered some memorable wins over the years. In the first three editions of the tournament, India were the underdogs but managed to cause some big upsets. As India evolved over the years as a powerhouse of the game, they also had to face some humiliating defeats at the World Cup, which created shockwaves around the globe. Here we take a look at three such occasions.

Sri Lanka, 1979 World Cup

India faced off against Sri Lanka at the 1979 World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester. Sri Lanka was considered as an extremely weak unit, being new to international cricket. India too weren’t the strongest of outfits in ODI cricket but they were still expected to register a comfortable victory. Electing to field first after winning the toss, the Indian bowlers were lacklustre, with Sri Lanka managing to put up a score of 238/5 on the board. In reply, the Indian batting wavered, only managing to score 191 in 54.1 overs, to lose the match by 47 runs.

Zimbabwe, 1999 World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar had flown back to India after the untimely death of his father. India were set to face off against Zimbabwe, who were the heavy underdogs heading into the contest. Despite missing their talisman, people expected a comfortable victory for India. Skipper Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and put Zimbabwe in to bat first in Leicester. This decision backfired as the Flower brothers ensured that Zimbabwe put up a competitive score of 252/9 on the board in their 50 overs. In reply, India sorely missed Tendulkar as they were all-out for 249, losing the contest by 3 runs.

Bangladesh, 2007 World Cup

The 2007 campaign was a dark phase for Indian cricket under the toxic tenure of coach Greg Chappell. The lowest point of the tournament for India came against Bangladesh, which led to their early exit from the tournament. Playing in Trinidad, Indian captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to bat first. But heroics from Mashrafe Mortaza meant that the Indian batting unit crumbled and were all-out for a paltry total of 191. In reply, Bangladesh kept their nerves to register the biggest win in their history. Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan starred with the bat as the Bangladeshis celebrated a 5-wicket victory.