It was supposed to be an easy victory for India – the team heavily tipped to win the ICC World Cup. Some predictions had even given the side a 98 per cent chance of victory.
Instead, proving nothing is guaranteed in sport, New Zealand defeated India by 18 runs on Wednesday, booking their place in the finals.
Captain Virat Kohli described the loss as “45 minutes of bad cricket”.
“It breaks our hearts because you work so hard to build momentum and finish number one in the table,” Mr Kohli said.
“Then, a spell of bad cricket and you’re out of the tournament. But you have to accept it. We will come out better cricketers because of this setback.”
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Facing India's superstar line-up, the odds were stacked against New Zealand - a team that has only won one out of seven previous World Cup semi-final matches.
Many Indian cricket fans on social media have expressed their despair, with broken heart and crying emojis aplenty.
“Though there are a billion broken hearts tonight, Team India, you put up a great fight and are deserving of our love and respect,” politician Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
“Congratulations to New Zealand on their well-earned win.”
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also weighed in.
'He is King Kohli'
Mr Kohli’s strong fan-base showered him with support after the loss.
"Win or lose, you are our King forever," one fan tweeted.
"Love you all, especially boss Virat Kohli."
There was speculation that former captain MS Dhoni would announce his retirement after India exited the tournament - a prospect that was an emotional one for some fans.
"Tears in my eyes... people are quite harsh on him, but they always forget what he has done for India," fan Satyam Garg tweeted.
A video of the wicket keeper-batsman, seemingly crying after getting dismissed, has been shared thousands of times on Twitter - with some fans adding their own dramatic music to show their emotions.
"I can't stop my tears right now... Cricket isn't a game for us, it's more than an emotion," Twitter use Padmika said.
