The jinx is finally over! Mohammed Siraj’s fifer and Virat Kohli’s daunting 95-run knock has helped India beat their bogie. The Men in Blue have finally beaten New Zealand after 20 years in the Cricket World Cup. The Kiwis have posed a big threat to India for the last 2 decades but now in 2023, Rohit Sharma and Co have finally beaten NZ by 4 wickets as India win 5 matches on the trot.
Back in the 2019 World Cup, India came close but Martin Guptill’s iconic run out for MS Dhoni broke the heart of millions of fans as the KIwis progressed to the finals. But now in 2023, a complete performance from the Men in Blue helped India etch out a crucial 4-wicket win in Dharamshala.
A five-wicket haul by Mohammed Shami and another masterclass by chase master Virat Kohli guided India to a four-wicket win over New Zealand in their ICC Cricket World Cup match at Dharamshala on Sunday. With this win, India has its fifth successive win and is at the top of the table with 10 points. NZ is at number two now with four wins and a loss, totaling eight points.
Watch: MS Dhoni then, SKY now as run-out saga continues! Kiwis continue to be bogies in World Cup
Kiwi openers Devon Conway and Will Young failed to make a solid opening but that did not create trouble for New Zealand. Mohammed Siraj made the first breakthrough after he dismissed Conway for a duck. Mohammed Shami made a stunning comeback to the ODI World Cup 2023 and picked a wicket in his first ball of the ongoing tournament after he dismissed Will Young for 17 runs.
However, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell made a solid partnership to increase the run rate of the Kiwis and helped to cross the 100-run mark after playing 125 balls. Shami dismissed Ravindra for 75 runs and broke the partnership. Kuldeep Yadav picked his first wicket of the game after dismissing Tom Latham for five runs.
However, Mohammed Shami picked up two consecutive wickets and dismissed Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry. Shami picked up the most important wicket in the first inning after he dismissed Mitchell. Shami took a five-wicket haul in his 10-over spell against New Zealand. While Yadav picked up two wickets. On the other hand, Bumrah, and Siraj bagged one wicket in their respective spell.
Hitman goes Boom! Rohit Sharma slams 50 ODI sixes in calendar year to achieve major feat
In the chase of 274 runs, India was off to a flying start as skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were dealing in fours and sixes. The horrors of a terrible top-order start in the 2019 World Cup semifinals were being washed away with every shot they played. The 71-run opening stand came to an end as Lockie Ferguson castled Rohit for 46. Gill was the next one to be dismissed by Ferguson as he was caught by Daryl Mitchell for 26.
Iyer-Kohli reached their 50-run partnership in 45 balls. The partnership was cut short soon after Iyer fell prey to another short delivery by Trent Boult. KL-Virat brought up their fifty-run stand in 62 balls. However, KL was trapped leg-before wicket by Mitchell Santner. Suryakumar Yadav was the next one to be dismissed for just two runs after a horrible mix-up with Virat that led to his run-out.
Ravindra Jadeja, out of form for a while was next up and took India past 200. Jadeja and Virat hit some pressure-relieving boundaries. India needed seven in the final three overs, with Virat just eight runs from his 49th ODI century, which would help him equal the record of great Sachin Tendulkar. Jadeja sealed the deal with a winning four.
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