How the host nation fared in each ODI World Cup

#8 India and Pakistan, 1987

When the World Cup finally left England, it was staged in Asia for the first time. The co-hosts India and Pakistan started off as the favourites to win the tournament. India were the defending champions, while Pakistan were one of the best teams in the world at that time. India, led by Kapil Dev, had an initial hiccup when they lost their opening game by 1 run to Australia but then won the rest of the 5 games to top Group A.

On the other hand, Pakistan did the same and emerged as the top team in Group B. Both sides were playing brilliantly and the visions of an India-Pakistan final were raised. However, both teams faltered in the semi-finals. Pakistan lost the first semi-final to Australia by 18 runs at Lahore, while India followed them by blowing up the game from a winning position against England at Mumbai to go down by 35 runs.