The 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is less than a fortnight away and the fans and teams alike are gearing up for the mega event which will be the biggest cricketing carnival in 4 years. The tournament will be played in England and Wales from 30th May and the final is slated to be played at the iconic Lord’s Stadium on 14th July. The tournament opener on 30th May will be contested between hosts England and South Africa.
There is certainly no doubt about the fact that the men in Blue will be one of the top contenders to lift their 3rd World Cup title. They have played some sensational cricket in the recent past and has won most of the series which has come their way apart from a surprise series loss to Australia just before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The format of the tournament has been changed as well. Unlike previous, when teams were divided into groups, there is no group system this time around. All the 10 teams will play at least once against each other and the top 4 teams will progress through to the Semifinal. India will be one of the top teams of the tournament and should back themselves to win the mega event. Incidentally, India is also the most successful ODI team with 55 victories since the 2015 World Cup.
As India gear up to land their feet in England and Wales for the showpiece event, it is important for the fans to have an account of India’s record in World Cup games in England. They were the hosts of the first 3 World Cups in 1975, 1979 and 1983. In all India have won 11 out of the 22 World Cup games they have played in England.
While India lost the first 5 of the 6 World Cup games in England, they came back strongly and won 6 out of 8 matches in the 1983 World Cup which eventually helped them lift the title for the first time. During the 1999 edition, India won 4 out of 8 and was knocked out in the Super Six. This was the last time a cricket World Cup was held in England.
Meanwhile, India was pretty impressive in the ICC Champions Trophy campaign in 2013 and 2017. While the won the title in 2013 in that very country, the Men in Blue lost in the final against Pakistan which denied a consecutive Champions Trophy title in the same country.