Kohli, Shami outshine Kiwis to win a World Cup thriller
Mohammed Shami’s return to form was marked by a five-wicket haul, making him the first Indian player to achieve this feat twice in ODI World Cups.
Virat Kohli struck 95 off 105 balls and shared 78 runs with Ravindra Jadeja. (Image: @BCCI)
India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in a thrilling World Cup match on Sunday to top the points table. Chasing a target of 274, India reached the winning target with 12 balls to spare, thanks to a brilliant 95 from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s quick 46 off 40 balls. Mohammed Shami scalped 5 wickets with an economy rate of 5.40 to be the most successful bowler and stopped New Zealand from reaching a big score.
Virat Kohli’s impressive performance of 95 runs off 105 balls, along with a crucial partnership of 78 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (unbeaten at 39) for the sixth wicket, led India to successfully chase down the 274-run target within 48 overs in a thrilling World Cup match. Captain Rohit Sharma also made a significant contribution with 46 runs off 40 balls at the top of the batting order.
Among the New Zealand bowlers, Lockie Ferguson stood out as the most successful, achieving figures of 2 for 63. In the earlier innings, pacer Mohammed Shami made a remarkable comeback with figures of 5/54, playing a crucial role in restricting New Zealand to a total of 273. Kuldeep Yadav also made a notable contribution, bagging 2/73.
Daryl Mitchell delivered an outstanding performance for New Zealand, achieving a career-best score of 130. Despite the early dismissals of openers Devon Conway (0) and Will Young (17), Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra (75) forged a resilient 159-run partnership, breathing life back into their innings.
New Zealand set a total of 273 runs on the board after losing all their wickets, owing much of their score to Mohd Shami’s impressive five-wicket performance, supported by Kuldeep Yadav’s two wickets, and one each from Bumrah and Siraj. India requires 274 runs to secure a victory in the match.
Mohammed Shami’s return to form was marked by a five-wicket haul, making him the first Indian player to achieve this feat twice in ODI World Cups.
(Image: @MdShami11)
India experienced three dropped catches. Although Kuldeep Yadav (2/73) was the most expensive bowler, he crucially secured the dismissals of Tom Lathan and Glenn Phillips.
Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the team holds the top spot on the points table, boasting a perfect 10 points from their five consecutive wins. New Zealand follows closely in second place with 8 points, having secured victories in four out of five matches.
South Africa stands at the third position with 6 points, while Australia holds the fourth spot with 4 points. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals. Shami was honoured as the player of the match. His three wickets came in the crucial death overs when New Zealand were aiming to accelerate and push their total towards the 300-run mark.
High-five if you enjoyed the team's performance
— 𝕸𝖔𝖍𝖆𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖉 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖒𝖎 (@MdShami11) October 22, 2023
Good to pick 5️⃣ for the team
Brilliant all-round effort 💪🏻 #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/ysWWzXsu0e
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