India in the 1987 Cricket World cup (Part 2)

In the 1987 Cricket World Cup, India lost the 1st group match and won the next 2 group matches. It stood a good chance of reaching the semi finals.

Group match against Australia

The fourth group match of India was against Australia on 22nd October 1987 at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. In the stipulated 50 overs, India amassed 289 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. The top scorer was Dilip Vengsarkar who made 63 runs in 60 balls. Craig McDermott took 3 wickets for 61 runs in 10 overs. Australia was bowled out for 233 in 49 overs, despite David Boon making 62 runs in 59 deliveries. Mohammad Azharuddin bowled 3.5 overs, conceded 19 runs and took 3 wickets. India won this match by 56 runs. Azharuddin was declared as the Man of the Match.

Group match against Zimbabwe

On 26th October 1987, Zimbabwe and India clashed in a group match at Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad. Zimbabwe managed 191 runs for 7 wickets in 50 overs. Kevin Arnott faced 126 deliveries and scored 60 runs. Chetan Sharma claimed 2 wickets for 41 runs in 10 overs. India replied by scoring 194 runs for 3 wickets in 42 overs. Navjot Sidhu scored 55 runs in 61 deliveries. Peter Rawson bowled 8 overs, gave away 46 runs and made 2 dismissals. India won the match by 7 wickets.

Group match against New Zealand

India and New Zealand contested a group match at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur on 31s October 1987. New Zealand accumulated 221 runs for 9 wickets in 50 overs. Dipak Patel gathered 40 runs in 51 balls. Chetan Sharma bowled 10 overs and made 3 dismissals for 51 runs. India reached the score of 224 for the loss of 1 wicket in only 32.1 overs. Sunil Gavaskar faced 88 deliveries and remained unbeaten on 103. Willie Watson bowled 10 overs, conceded 50 runs and picked up 1 wicket. India won this match by 9 wickets. Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Sharma were jointly awarded the Man of the Match prize.

Out of 6 group matches, India won 5 matches and lost 1 match. It had collected 20 points and topped Group A. So, it acquired a place in the semi finals against England.

Semi final against England

The semi final clash took place between England and India on 5th November 1987 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. England accrued 254 runs for 6 wickets in 50 overs. Graham Gooch faced 136 balls and scored 115 runs. Maninder Singh bowled 10 overs, conceded 54 runs and took 3 wickets. India collapsed to 219 in 45.3 overs. Mohammad Azharuddin scored 64 runs in 74 balls. Eddie Hemmings took 4 wickets for 52 runs in 9.3 overs. England won this match by 35 runs. Gooch was made the Man of the Match.