India started the tournament with the title of hot favorite from the beginning of the World Cup. Why they were called the potential World Cup champions, they are proving quite well on the field.
India reached the final after crushing New Zealand by runs in the first semi-final. They also took a kind of revenge for losing in the semis of the 2019 World Cup. They lost the Kiwis by 70 runs.
New Zealand got off to a great start in the first over chasing the big target of 398 runs given by India. Conway hit two fours in Bumrah’s first over. However, it did not take long for India to get the first wicket of the Kiwis.
In the first ball of the sixth over of the innings, Conway returned to the pavilion by catching Shamir behind the wicket for 13 runs. Another opener Rabindra could not last long. He also scored 13 runs and was a victim of Shamir’s ball.
New Zealand is in danger after losing two wickets for 39 runs. Two experienced cricketers Kane Williamson and Darrell Mitchell pulled from there. In the third wicket partnership, the two of them made a great partnership of 182 runs off 149 balls to bring New Zealand back into the match.
But the joy of returning to this match was short-lived. Mohammad Shami’s one more over stormed the entire QI batting lineup. Shami dismissed Kane Williamson for 69 runs in the 33rd over. Just two balls later, in the same over, Tom Latham was trapped leg before, and the Kiwis were in danger of losing 4 wickets for 220 runs.
Even though Williamson departed, Darrell Mitchell took the century right at the other end. Mitchell started to repair the innings again with Glenn Phillips.
Phillips took 20 runs alone in the 41st over bowled by Mohammad Siraj. Kiwis have a chance to come back in the match. However, New Zealand again lost two wickets in the space of 6 balls and was knocked out of the match.
On the 5th ball of the 43rd over, Phillips caught Jadeja at mid-off while hitting Bumrah for a six. On the 5th ball of the next over, Mark Chapman was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav for just two runs. Kiwis almost crashed out of the match after losing 6 wickets for 298 runs.
The impossible target of 99 runs in the last 6 overs was not touched by the Kiwis. In the 46th over, Darrell Mitchell, who scored 134 runs, hit the mid-wicket six off Shamir. With his out, the last hope of New Zealand ended. In the end, New Zealand was bowled out for 327 runs by India’s bowling ball.
For India, Shami got 7 wickets, Yadav, Siraj and Bumrah got 1 wicket.
Earlier, India built a mountain of 397 runs for 4 wickets against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the World Cup based on the double centuries of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. In other words, Kiwis have to score 398 runs to go to the final.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The host team’s batsmen continued to play from the start, proving the captain’s decision right.
The two openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill shared a 71-run partnership in 8.2 overs. They were batting as if it was a T20 match.
Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 47 runs off 29 balls. He returned with a catch in the hands of Williamson from Tim Southee. He hit four sixes and a boundary off 29 balls.
Despite Rohit getting out, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli continued to bat. They scored 118 runs on the scoreboard in 15 overs. In the 23rd over, Gill returned as a retired heart after the team scored 164 runs.
Shreyas Iyer came to the crease as the new batter after Gill left the field. New Zealand’s bowlers are more dangerous. Iyer continued to bat more aggressively. The right-handed batsman completed his fifty in 35 balls.
Virat Kohli looked to play and took the 50th century of his career. Surpass the homegrown legend Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli became the first batsman to score 50 centuries in ODI history.
Kohli and Iyer added 163 runs off 128 balls for the third wicket. Finally Tim Southee broke this pair. Kohli returned to the dressing room after scoring 117 runs off 113 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes.
Then Marmukhi Iyer also scored a century. He reached the magic figure of three with 67 balls. Finally, with 7 balls remaining in the innings, Iyer fell victim to Trent Bould. He hit 8 sixes with 4 fours in a devastating innings of 105 runs from 70 balls!
Suryakumar Yadav could not take advantage of the last drop. This batter went back to the dressing room after 2 balls. However, Lokesh Rahul scored 39 off 20 balls to take the team close to 400. Shubman Gill, who went up to 79 runs, got down in the last over but got a chance to play only one ball, remained unbeaten on 80 runs.
Tim Southee of New Zealand took 3 wickets at the cost of 100 runs.
