India seems unstoppable in this World Cup as they register their fourth win in the tournament. In the much-awaited encounter against the Kiwis on Sunday, the men in blue sealed a four-wicket victory thanks to Shami’s five-wicket haul and Kohli’s yet another brilliant 95-run knock.
Another victory for team India! Shami picks up five wickets, Kohli misses ton by five runs
Winning the toss, Rohit Sharma put Newzealand to bat first. After a shaky start, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell gave solid support to their team. The Kiwis were 19/2 at the moment, after which their third wicket fell on 178.
Ravindra scored a brilliant 75 with six fours and a six, and Mitchell was phenomenal as he hammered 130 off 127 with five fours and nine sixes.
However, other than these two, there was no remarkable performance from the Black Caps, and they were bowled out for 273. Mohammad Shami, who played his first game in this World Cup, was amazing with the ball as he picked up five wickets, including the most crucial ones of Rabindra and Mitchell.
Easy chase for the Indians
Coming to chase the run, Rohit Sharma started effortlessly as he scored an eye-soothing 46 off 40 balls. After the openers, things went easier with Virat Kohli’s breathtaking 95-run knock, missing his second consecutive ton by five runs.
In between, the game was paused for a few minutes due to heavy mist at Dharamshala’s ground. It resumed again after the conditions improved.
Two quick wickets fell in between, and there could have been a tense moment. Fergusson picked up two wickets; however, nothing was enough today to stop the Indian batting from reaching the target.
Rohit Sharma sounded a happy captain in the post-match interview and mentioned it’s a good start to the tournament and they should keep it balanced without thinking too far at the moment.
Praising Kohli, he said that he has been doing this for years for his team, and he’s glad how he and Jadeja pulled it back after they lost wickets in between.
Addressing Jadeja’s missed catch, Rohit said that he’s one of the best fielders in the world and these things can happen.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham said that though they played reasonably well, they could have capitalized on the last ten. He praised Rachin and Mitchell’s partnership and further mentioned they’d like to have a good game after the brief break they have.
