World Cup: From 1975 to 2019 - How India have fared in the first match? At a Glance

India are on the cusp of kickstarting their World Cup 2023 campaign on Sunday (October 8). The Men in Blue are taking on Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai as they aim for the third title.

From 1975 to till now, India has participated in all of the Cricket World Cups. With two World Cup titles to their name, India are the joint-second most succesful nation in the competition's history.

And as they prepare for their first encounter, let's have a look how India have performed in the first match of the previous World Cups-

ICC World Cup 1975

First Match: vs England

Result: India lost by 202 runs

India's first match-up and the inaugural game of the Cup took place versus England at the Lord's cricket ground in London. This match gained infamy due to the questionable performance of Gavaskar. With a challenging target of 335 runs to win, Gavaskar retained his wicket for the entirety of 60 overs but managed to score a mere 36 runs from 174 deliveries, including a lonely boundary.

He did not significantly increase the scoring pace or strive for victory. Consequently, India managed a total of 132 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the 60 overs, falling short by 202 runs which significantly hampered their chances of reaching the semifinals. Gavaskar, notably, faced intense criticism for his performance - widely seen as embarrassing, in the match that had let down the Indian nation.

ICC World Cup 1979

First Match: vs West Indies

Result: India lost by 9 wickets

India's campaign witnessed a resounding defeat to the West Indies at the Edgbaston stadium in Birmingham. Spearheaded by Michael Holding (4/33) and Andy Roberts (2/32), the West Indian fast bowling cohort kept the Indian batsmen unsettled throughout the match. The sole resistance came from Vishwanath, managing 75 runs from 134 balls, inclusive of 7 boundaries. However, India was fully dismissed with a score of 190 in the 54th over.

Responding in kind, West Indian opener, Gordon Greenidge, retaliated with a faultless century, steering the Caribbean team towards a victory by 9 wickets.

ICC World Cup 1983

First Match: vs West Indies

Result: India won by 34 runs

India started their 1983 World Cup winning campaign with a shock victory over the mighty West Indies. India registered a surprising victory, scoring 34 more runs in the two-day game. Sharma, a middle-order batsman, braved the West Indian pace attack scoring an impressive 89 from 120 balls, including 9 fours. This led India to score 262/8.

Under the disciplined guidance of all-rounders Binny (3/48) and Shastri (3/26), the Indian bowling team ensured the West Indies team couldn't gain any momentum, resulting in them being bowled out at a mere 228.

ICC World Cup 1987

First Match: vs Australia

Result: India lost by 1 run

India hosted the 1987 World Cup and started off the campiagn with an agonizing defeat against Australia by just a solitary run.

ICC World Cup 1992

First Match: vs England

Result: India lost by 9 runs

India started off their campaign in the tournament with a match against England at Perth. Despite an initial good start with a 63-run partnership between Shastri (57 from 112 balls, 2 fours) and Srikkanth (39 from 50 balls, 7 fours), and a strong performance from Tendulkar (35 from 44 balls, 5 fours), India fell short of 237, ending at 227 all out. This 9-run deficit resulted in a defeat for India.

ICC World Cup 1996

First Match: vs Kenya

Result: India won by 7 wickets

India opened their World Cup with a resounding win over Kenya. It is was played at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, and India restricted Kenya for just 199/6 in their 50 overs. In reply, Sachin Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 127 and India won the match comfortably.

ICC World Cup 1999

First Match: vs South Africa

Result: India lost by 6 wickets

India played South Africa in the first match and had a good batting performance courtesy of Sourav Ganguly (97) and Rahul Dravid (54). South Africa chased India's total of 253 down as Jack Kallis starred with the bat.

ICC World Cup 2003

First Match: vs Netherlands

Result: India won by 68 runs

India had a batting collapse against the Dutch as they were bowled out for 204 runs. But in reply, the bowlers starred asnd bundled the Dutch for just 136 runs. Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble picked up 4 wickets each.

ICC World Cup 2007

First Match: vs Bangladesh

Result: India lost by 5 wickets

India's dismal 2007 World Cup campaign's tone was set with this shocking loss in the first match. India were bundled out for just 191 runs and apart from Sourav Ganguly (66) and Yuvraj Singh (47), none of the Indian batters fared well. Bangladesh chased the total comfortably as Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan all scored half centuries.

ICC World Cup 2011

First Match: vs Bangladesh

Result: India won by 87 runs

Four years later, India had their vengeance. The Indian team piled 370 in Dhaka as Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli both scored centuries. In reply, Bangladesh could only manage 283 runs.

ICC World Cup 2015

First Match: vs Pakistan

Result: India won by 76 runs

Virat Kohli scored a magnificent 107 and India posted 300 runs at the Adelaide Oval. Mohammed Shami dismantled the Pakistani batters with four wickets as the Men in Blue registered a resounding victory over arch-rivals.

ICC World Cup 2019

First Match: vs South Africa

Result: India won by 6 wickets

India captain Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 122 as India chased down South Africa's 227 runs with ease and started their campaign with a comfortable 6-wicket victory.