Full list of ICC tournaments where India lost in a knockout

India are one of the giants in the world of cricket, be it in men's or women's cricket. The wounds of the recent 2023 Men's ODI World Cup (WC) final defeat must still be fresh in the minds of Indian fans, with a perfect tournament derailed by an Australian side that was simply the better side on the day of the final.

This is by no means the first time India finished on the wrong side of a knockout game in ICC tournaments, and yet, they've always found the strength to bounce back.

Let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit some tough defeats for India in knockout matches of ICC tournaments.

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ICC Men's ODI World Cup 1987 - Semi-final vs England

The first time India hosted the World Cup was in 1987, and they had a good chance of winning the tournament on home soil. After a stellar group-stage run that saw them win five out of six games, India and Australia progressed out of the group to the semis, with Pakistan and England being the Group B qualifying teams.

India faced England in the semi-finals at Bombay, but unfortunately lost that match by 35 runs, courtesy of a Graham Gooch century, to get knocked out of the tournament. Australia eventually won the World Cup, the first of what would turn out to be many.

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ICC Men's ODI World Cup 1996 - Semi-final vs Sri Lanka

Rioting fans led to the game being called off. (Image Courtesy: espncricinfo.com)

Another heartbreaking defeat in the semi-finals was in store for India when they co-hosted the World Cup in 1996. After making it out of the group stage, India beat Pakistan in the quarter-finals in a satisfying victory, with the iconic Venkatesh Prasad delivery to castle Aamer Sohail taking place in that match.

However, Sri Lanka got the better of India in the semi-finals at the Eden Gardens. Batting first, they scored 251/8 in 50 overs, but Sachin's dismissal on 65 triggered an Indian collapse that saw them struggling at 120/8 in 34.1 overs. The crowd turned hostile, resulting in the match getting called off, with Sri Lanka being declared winners by default. They went on to win the whole thing, beating Australia in the final.

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ICC Women's ODI World Cup 1997 - Semi-Final vs Australia

The Indian women's cricket team made their first appearance in the knockout stage of a World Cup in the 1997 edition that India hosted. India finished second on the points table in Group B, qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they beat South Africa.

However, they couldn't get past the mighty Aussies in the semi-finals, losing by 19 runs in a match reduced to 32 overs due to bad light.

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ICC Men's Champions Trophy 1998 - Semi-Final vs West Indies

India made the semi-finals of the inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy, but couldn't progress to the final, losing to the West Indies by six wickets.

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ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2000 - Semi-Final vs New Zealand

Indian women made back-to-back appearances in the playoff stages of the World Cup, setting up a semi-final clash against hosts New Zealand in the 2000 edition after winning five out of seven group-stage matches.

However, they were blown away by the hosts in the semis and got bowled out for 117 in 45.2 overs, with the White Ferns chasing it down in the 27th over itself. They went on to win the World Cup, beating Australia in a thrilling final.

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ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2000 - Final vs New Zealand

India reached the final of the 2000 Men's Champions Trophy, and looked set to win it at one stage. Sourav Ganguly's hundred helped them set a target of 265 for the Black Caps, but a terrific hundred from Chris Cairns helped them prevail in a close contest.

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ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2003 - Final vs Australia

India were simply no match for the Aussies.

Another knockout defeat, this time in the final, haunted the Indian men's team in the 2003 World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. India remained largely untroubled, losing only once (to Australia) throughout the tournament.

They comfortably beat Kenya in the semi-finals to take on Ricky Ponting's Aussies in the final, where India's choice to bowl first after winning the toss came back to haunt them. Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn's record partnership took them to 359/2 in 50 overs, and India never stood a chance at chasing that down, losing by 125 runs in the end.

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ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2005 - Final vs Australia

India became the first Asian team to reach a Women's WC final.

The 2005 World Cup saw the Indian women's team deliver their best WC performance as they reached the final. After finishing second in the group stage, India rode on Mithali Raj's unbeaten 91 to beat New Zealand in the semi-finals to progress through to the final against Australia at Centurion.

However, a hundred from 'Player of the Tournament' winner Karen Rolton saw Australia set India a target of 218 that they couldn't really get close to, losing by 98 runs and finishing runners-up.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2009 - Semi-Final vs New Zealand

India made the semi-finals of the inaugural Women's T20 World Cup in 2009, held in England. Facing New Zealand in the semi-finals, India couldn't chase down the lofty target of 146, losing by a sizeable margin of 52 runs in the end.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2010 - Semi-Final vs Australia

Another semi-final exit awaited the Indian women's team in the second edition of the T20 World Cup, this time at the hands of Australia. Qualifying second in their group alongside New Zealand, India were always going to have it tough against the Aussies. They batted first and posted a total of 119/5 in 20 overs, but it was chased down with more than an over to spare by Australia.

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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2014 - Final vs Sri Lanka

2014 was the first edition of the T20 World Cup that the Indian men's team reached the knockout stages in post their win in the inaugural edition. With an in-form Virat Kohli leading their charge, India beat South Africa in the semi-finals to take on Sri Lanka in the final at Dhaka.

Put into bat on a tricky wicket, Virat's class showed as he finished with a 58-ball 77, but the rest of the Indian batters struggled as they could only post 130/4 in 20 overs. Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten half-century took Sri Lanka home comfortably, resulting in heartbreak once again for India.

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ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2015 - Semi-Final vs Australia

India were the defending champions heading into the 2015 World Cup, but while they made it to the semi-finals, they couldn't give themselves a chance of winning back-to-back World Cups, with Australia in their way yet again.

India took on the Aussies in the second semi-final and Michael Clarke's side posted a total of 328/7 in 50 overs after choosing to bat first. MS Dhoni's fighting half-century kept India in the game for a while, but a no-show from the top order resulted in them losing by 95 runs.

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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2016 - Semi-Final vs West Indies

Virat Kohli (right) waged a lone battle for India in the semi-final.

Virat Kohli was India's best player by some margin in yet another edition of the T20 World Cup, with India falling short once more, this time losing to the West Indies in the 2016 semi-finals at the Eden Gardens,

India scored 192/2 in 50 overs, courtesy a 47-ball 89 from Kohli, but a largely sub-par bowling efforts and crucial contributions from Lendl Simmons, Johnson Charles, and Andre Russell helped the Windies chase the total down and eventually win the tournament.

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ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2017 - Final vs England

The Indian women's team had their best shot at winning the ODI World Cup in the 2017 edition where they made it to the final against England at the Lord's.

England scored 228/7 in 50 overs, and while India looked on course for the win in their chase, a late collapse triggered by a six-for from Anya Shrubsole saw them losing by nine runs.

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ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2017 - Final vs Pakistan

The Champions Trophy 2017 final defeat to Pakistan would hurt the most for India after dominating the tournament up until that point. However, they were well beaten as Pakistan smashed 338/4 in 50 overs, courtesy a Fakhar Zaman hundred, with India bundled out for 158 in their chase.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2018 - Semi-Final vs England

India faced England in another knockout match, this time in the semi-finals of the 2018 T20 World Cup. India could only make 112 batting first in that game, with England chasing it down with ease.

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ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2019 - Semi-Final vs New Zealand

India topped the points table after the group stage and faced New Zealand in the semi-finals at Old Trafford. Rain halted play on the first day, with New Zealand batting first as the match went into the reserve day. The Kiwis finished on 239/8 in 50 overs, but that total turned out to be enough as their bowlers made life really hard for India, who were 18 runs short in the end.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 - Final vs Australia

A terrific group-stage performance helped Indian women make the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup as they topped Group A, beating Australia in the tournament opener, led by a terrific spell from Poonam Yadav. That helped them edge England out in the washed-out semi-finals to face the Aussies once again in the final.

However, they couldn't make it two wins in a row as Australia posted a mammoth total of 184/4, with India getting bowled out for 99.

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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 - Semi-Final vs England

A scratchy T20 World Cup campaign Down Under for India saw them go down to eventual winners England in the semi-finals. India could only post 168/6 in their 20 overs, and Jos Buttler and Alex Hales' unbeaten opening partnership saw them chase it down in 16 overs.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 - Semi-Final vs Australia

Harmanpreet Kaur's unfortunate run-out cost India a chance at playing in the final.

The Indian women's team lost another knockout game to Australia, arguably the most winnable of them all. Harmanpreet Kaur's side was set a huge target of 173, but this time, they were up for it.

Harmanpreet's half-century and a brisk 24-ball 43 from Jemimah Rodrigues put India in the driver's seat, but an unfortunate run-out for the former turned the game Australia's way as India eventually lost by five runs.

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ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 - Final vs Australia

The law of averages caught up with India in a tournament they absolutely dominated up until the final. Facing an Australian side that was on eight wins on the bounce, India were put into bat, and could only score 240 in their 50 overs against a spirited bowling and fielding effort from Pat Cummins' side.

Despite being reduced to 47/3, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne bailed Australia out, with the former scoring a 120-ball 137 to take the Aussies to their sixth Men's World Cup win.