Shami’s Fiery Five-for and Kohli’s 95 Propel India to Table Summit with Thrilling Four-Wicket Win Over New Zealand in Men’s ODI WC

The scenic venue witnessed a captivating duel between Shami and Kohli, rescuing India from precarious situations during both innings. In the first leg, Daryl Mitchell (130 off 127 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (75 off 87 balls) joined forces to resurrect New Zealand from a precarious 19/2 start on a tricky pitch. However, their late innings stumble resulted in the Kiwis posting 273 runs, thanks in large part to Shami’s remarkable four wickets in the final ten overs, solidifying his status as the first Indian bowler to achieve two five-wicket hauls in a Men’s ODI World Cup.

In response, India’s batsmen all made promising starts, but it was Kohli who anchored the chase to perfection, unleashing eight fours and two sixes on his way to a determined 95. His strategic running between the wickets, featuring 43 singles and four twos, ensured India’s victory with two overs to spare and marked their first World Cup win over New Zealand in two decades.

Rohit Sharma’s decision to field first paid off early, as Mohammed Siraj’s sharp catch dismissed Devon Conway, and Shami’s first delivery accounted for Will Young, who chopped onto his stumps. Ravindra had a stroke of luck when he successfully overturned a caught-behind decision and later survived a dropped catch by Ravindra Jadeja. The pair proceeded to deliver a flurry of boundaries, with Mitchell launching a six and two boundaries off Kuldeep in an emphatic counterattack.

After both players reached their fifties, Mitchell took on Jadeja with a six before taking Kuldeep to task with a six and a four. India finally broke the partnership when Ravindra was caught at long-off by Shami, but Mitchell continued to resist, lofting and clipping Bumrah for a couple of boundaries. Kuldeep then had Tom Latham trapped leg-before-wicket, but Mitchell slowed down as India made a comeback.

Glenn Phillips mishit a slog to cover off Kuldeep, while Mark Chapman fell while attempting to take on Bumrah, with Kohli diving forward to complete a low catch. Shami returned to dismiss Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry on consecutive deliveries. Mitchell did manage to hit a six and a four off Shami in the final over, but was caught at deep mid-wicket, followed by Lockie Ferguson’s run-out on the last ball, as New Zealand utilized their full allotment of overs.

Chasing 274, Rohit Sharma continued his aggressive approach by flicking Trent Boult for a boundary through square leg and then slamming Matt Henry for six and another boundary. After a near miss, when Rohit was dropped going for four, Shubman Gill showcased his skills by driving through the cover off Henry.

Rohit sent Boult’s deliveries soaring over the sight-screen and, along with Gill, found ways to score boundaries, with Gill becoming the fastest batter to reach 2000 ODI runs in just 38 innings. Henry’s movement kept the batsmen on their toes, but Gill played a splendid on-drive for four. Rohit unleashed a four and six against the pacer before losing his wicket by chopping onto his stumps.

Shreyas Iyer started well, with two boundaries off Lockie Ferguson, before flicking off Santner for his third four. He targeted Ferguson, delivering more boundaries by punching and pulling before a fog delay disrupted the game. Upon resumption, Kohli showcased his cover drive and glance for boundaries against Ferguson.

Boult dismissed Iyer with a short ball, which resulted in a top-edge on a hook and was caught by a diving deep square leg fielder. While showing respect for disciplined bowling, Kohli found his rhythm, lofting Ravindra for six and driving Henry for four. Although Kohli reached his half-century, he lost partners, with K.L Rahul falling to Santner’s lbw trap, and Suryakumar Yadav being run out in a mix-up.

Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja combined well to keep the scoreboard ticking, alternating between striking boundaries and rotating the strike to maintain the required run-rate. Jadeja attacked Ferguson and Ravindra for boundaries, while Kohli, although losing partners, remained resolute. He pulled Boult for six and executed a picture-perfect on-drive for four, but mistimed a flick to deep mid-wicket, falling for 95. Jadeja sealed the deal with a four off Boult, securing an impressive Indian victory.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 273 all out in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 130, Rachin Ravindra 75; Mohammed Shami 5-54, Kuldeep Yadav 2-73) lost to India 274/6 in 48 overs (Virat Kohli 95, Rohit Sharma 46; Lockie Ferguson 2-63, Mitchell Santner 1-37) by four wickets.”