For a third successive tournament, India and England are meeting in the semifinals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. When Suryakumar Yadav and Harry Brook lead their teams out at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, both will be well aware of the recent historic relevance of this tie, which has decided the title in the last two editions.
England dismantled India in Adelaide in 2022 before lifting their second T20 crown. Two years later in Guyana, India reversed that result emphatically and went on to secure their second title. In both instances, the semifinal proved decisive.
Historically, knockout meetings between the two sides have come at a premium, with the two teams locking horns on just five previous occasions, despite their status as traditional powerhouses. But, when they have occurred, the memories have been lasting.
Here's a look at the ICC knockout encounters between India and England.
1) 1983 World Cup Semifinal (Old Trafford)
Kapil's Devils put in a statement performance against the hosts before going on to lift the nation's maiden World Cup title in 1983. Inspired by a Player-of-the-Match performance by Mohinder Amarnath (46 & 2/27), India restricted England to 213.
Amarnath laid the base in the run chase with Yaspal Sharma (61) and Sandeep Patil (51*) ensuring India won by 6 wickets.
2) 1987 World Cup Semifinal (Wankhede Stadium)
England kept the receipts from their 1983 defeat and returned the favour in the very next edition, knocking out defending champions India in front of their home crowd at Wankhede Stadium.
Batting first, the Mike Gatting-led side posted 254/6 in 50 overs, with Graham Gooch opening the innings with a brilliant 115. In response, Mohammad Azharuddin provided some resistance with 64, however Eddie Hemmings (4/52) trapped him LBW as India were bowled out for 219, falling short by 35 runs.
3) 2013 Champions Trophy Final (Edgbaston)
With rain playing spoilsport, the home Final for England was cut short to a 20-over contest at Edgbaston. Only three Indian batters registered double-digit scores but those contributions by Virat Kohli (43), Shikhar Dhawan (31) and Ravindra Jadeja (33*) helped India post 129/7 in 20 overs.
Ishant Sharma took two-in-two in the 18th over and Player-of-the-Match, Jadeja (2/24) gave away just four runs and got two wickets in the 19th over as India won by 5 runs.
4) 2022 T20 World Cup Semifinal (Adelaide)
This game was a proper drubbing for India, who posted 168/6, largely thanks to a late 33-ball blitz by Hardik Pandya which yielded 63 runs. Kohli (50 off 40 balls) contributed with a half-century on a pitch where the other Indian batters failed to find any rhythm.
However, there were no such worries for England's opening pair of Jos Buttler (80*) and Alex Hales (86*), who chased down the total in double-quick time, winning by 10 wickets with 24 balls to spare.
England went on to win the tournament, with a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the Final as they lifted their second T20 World Cup title in Melbourne.
5) 2024 T20 World Cup Semifinal (Guyana)
The two powerhouses met again in the semifinals during the last edition of the tournament in Guyana. Once again put in to bat, India fared much better as Rohit Sharma (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (47) fired them to 171/7.
India's spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (3/19) and Axar Patel (2/23), along with a fire-breathing Jasprit Bumrah (2/12) dismantled England for just 103 in 16.4 overs to register a dominant 68-run victory.
Needless to remind Indian fans, the Men in Blue would go on to lift the title against South Africa in the Final to lift their second T20 title.
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