February 25, 2026

India Lose, Likely To Crash Out Of World Cup Early

By Slogger
First publised on 2021-11-01 02:56:35

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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.

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India lost the must-win game against New Zealand by 8 wickets. This puts them in real danger of making an early exit from the World Cup. Nothing clicked for Team India for the second match running. They lost the toss once again, put up a horrendous batting display and the bowlers, despite trying hard, had a very small total to defend which they could not.

One had thought that the drubbing at the hands of Pakistan in the first match would shake the team and they would bounce back with a vengeance. But sadly, the team gave the impression of not having done its home work properly and allowed the disciplined New Zealand bowlers to get on top of them. Instead of rotating the strike with singles and twos, the Indian batters fell in the trap of going for the big shots and made a mess of things.

New Zealand must be credited with having executed their plan of choking the Indians clinically. Their bowlers gave nothing away and the Indians played too many dot balls leading to enormous pressure. With wickets falling in the power play, the shot selection of the Indian batters became worse. 110 was never going to be a total they could defend as the Indian bowlers are not looking penetrative in this tournament and taking wickets was the key. In the end, New Zealand made it comfortably.

The Indians have been in the UAE for a long time since most of them were playing in the IPL. They have acclimatized to the conditions and the pitches. They also have a mentor in the hugely experienced M S Dhoni this time. But in the end, the actual battle is fought on the field by the players and they are sadly giving the impression that they have burnt out at the wrong time.