The two most prominent players in India were Shami and “Chase Master” Virat Kohli. Riding high on their spectacular displays with the ball and the willow, the hosts won the World Cup for the fifth time in a row, taking a significant step towards securing a place in the top four.
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami said after his team’s four-wicket victory over New Zealand in their ICC Cricket World Cup match on Sunday that it’s important to build confidence quickly after being left out of the starting eleven for a spell. He also said that his team’s victory gave him a lot of confidence. But he went on to say that since the team had performed so admirably in the previous four games with this lineup, it was not too difficult for him to wait on the sidelines for a chance to enter the starting lineup.
The biggest stars in India were Shami and “Chase Master” Virat Kohli, who led the team to victory in the World Cup for the fifth time in a row because to their amazing skills with the ball and the willow. This victory put India in a strong position to finish in the top four.
India surpassed the New Zealanders, who were leading the points table heading into this match, to take the first spot with 10 points after winning by four wickets.
The victory also put an end to the ‘Men in Blue’s’ painful 20-year losing run to New Zealand at ICC competitions.
Gaining confidence early is crucial when returning to the XI after a prolonged absence. I was able to regain that confidence in my first World Cup game. If your team is performing well, it’s not too difficult to wait on the sidelines. They are your colleagues, and you ought to help them out if they are succeeding. I don’t mind if it serves the interests of the team. The wickets were significant since they came against a team that came into the match leading the points table, Shami stated during the post-match press conference.
The Men in Blue had a great start after winning the toss and batting first against New Zealand, restricting the Kiwis to 19/2.
But then centurion Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra shared a 159-run partnership that enabled New Zealand to mount a formidable resistance.
After taking wickets in the second part of New Zealand’s innings, the hosts struck back, bowling the visitors out for 273 runs in 50 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav (2/73) finished strongly after being pushed to task in the first overs, but Shami (5/54) was India’s best bowler.
Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian new-ball duo, both claimed a wicket.
India, trailing 274 runs, got off to a spectacular start as openers Rohit Sharma (46 in 40 balls, four fours and four sixes) and Shubhman Gill (26 in 31 balls, five fours) put up a 71-run partnership for the first wicket.
With two overs remaining, India managed to win by four wickets with the help of Virat Kohli (95* in 104 balls, eight fours and two sixes) and Ravindra Jadeja (39* in 44 balls, three fours and a six). However, during the innings, India did lose Shreyas Iyer (33), KL Rahul (27), and Suryakumar Yadav.
The best bowler for New Zealand was Lockie Ferguson (2/63) with a wicket apiece for Trent Boult, Matt Henry, and Mitchell Santner.
