December 21, 2024

Brilliant Shami (7 for 57) Helps India Crush NZ after Batters Put Up 397 On The Board

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2023-11-16 07:44:28

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

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The moment Rohit Sharma won the toss, India gained a handsome advantage as the Wankhede pitch was flat and slow and the team batting first was expected to post a huge total. Then when Rohit started blasting the NZ bowlers in his role as an impact player in this WC and India were 71 without loss in the ninth over, the advantage was redoubled. Rohit perished trying to force the pace but Shubman Gill took over his role. At the other end, Virat Kohli played the sheet anchor role to perfection. Later, Gill, then on 79, was hit by severe cramps. He hobbled off the pitch in pain. But there was no relief for the NZ side as the next man in, Shreyas Iyer, was in a destructive mood and went about clobbering the NZ bowlers. Kohli, meanwhile reached his century to overtake Sachin Tendulkar as the player with the highest tons in ODIs. A blistering cameo from K L Rahul (39 n.o.) ensured that India reached 397 for four. The New Zealand bowling was uninspiring but their fielding was top class and prevented not less than 30-40 runs.

When New Zealand batted, their in-form players, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, could not going and Md Shami got them to nick outswingers for K L Rahul to take good catches. At 39 for 2, it seemed that the Indian bowlers would prevail again but Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell had other ideas. Although Williamson (69) played a scratchy innings, he helped Mitchell go for his shots at the other hand and they ran up a partnership of 181 runs that silenced the huge, and partisan, crowd at the Wankhede stadium which included celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, Rajnikant, David Beckham and a sprinkling of Bollywood stars. The way Mitchell was bating at the other hand, it seemed he would do a Maxwell and take New Zealand home. He was particularly severe on Jadeja who he clobbered for many huge sixes. The Indian fielding left a lot to be desired. Under pressure, the Indians cracked and catches were dropped and there were several over throws. When Williamson was consumed by Shami, and then he claimed Tom Latham in the same over, the stadium erupted once again. But, Glenn Phillips, who came in next, ably supported Mitchell and a 75-run partnership once again silenced  the crowd. Although the run rate was climbing, the way Mitchell was going, the target was not unachievable. But then Bumrah induced Phillips to miscue a shot and the catch was gleefully accepted by Jadeja in the deep. Kuldeep Yadav and Md Siraj took one wicket each and finally Shami returned to polish off the tail and it was all over for New Zealand. They fell 70 runs short.

In the end, the Indians kept their nerves and a stellar show by Md Shami, who looked the only penetrative bowler on the day, ensured that the valiant fight back by New Zealand and the exceptional innings from Mitchell went in vain. It was a great win and as Kane Williamson admitted, the Indians were brilliant. They entered the final and will now face the winner of the other semifinal between Australia and South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata today.