Women's T20 World Cup: When did India fail to qualify for semi-finals Last Time?

Team India's hopes of progressing to the semi-finals of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 came crashing down after a crucial win by New Zealand against Pakistan in Match 20 on Monday, October 14.

The White Ferns' 54-run victory sealed their own place in the last four while simultaneously eliminating both Pakistan and India from the competition.

Despite a strong bowling performance that restricted New Zealand to 110/6, Pakistan crumbled under pressure and were bowled out for just 56, thus ending India's campaign as well.

India, who previously suffered a narrow nine-run loss to defending champions Australia in their final group-stage match, had been relying on Pakistan to win on Monday to keep their qualification hopes alive.

However, Pakistan's loss eliminated their arch-rivals from the tournament, marking the first time since 2016 that India has failed to advance past the group stages of the Women's T20 World Cup.

NZ-W vs PAK-W: India's first Women's T20 World Cup group-stage elimination since 2016

India, who had reached two semi-finals and one final in the last three editions of the Women's T20 World Cup, will undoubtedly find the early elimination this year an embarrassing result.

In fact, one has to go back as far as 2016 to get the last time India failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. The 2016 Women's T20 World Cup - ironically, the first edition held on Indian soil - saw the hosts crash out in the group stages after registering just one win in four matches.

The team's sole win came in the opening match against Bangladesh, where they won by 72 runs. However, their performance in the following matches could not maintain that momentum.

The turning point came when India suffered a heartbreaking two-run loss to Pakistan in a rain-affected match in Delhi. Chasing 77 runs in a 16-over contest, India fell just short, marking their first defeat in the tournament.

This was followed by another narrow defeat against England, who edged out India by two wickets in a low-scoring thriller.

In their final group-stage match against the West Indies, India needed a win to have any hope of advancing to the semi-finals. However, their batting lineup once again faltered under pressure. Chasing 115 for victory, they finished at 111/9, falling short by just three runs. The loss confirmed India's exit from the tournament, marking one of their most disappointing outings in recent memory.