CWC2023: India beat NZ by 4 wickets

Delhi: A fascinating tussle between the two teams at the top of the table was settled by the chase-master Kohli, who marshalled his team to their target of 274 to win in a match that had earlier been halted by descending fog in Dharamsala.

India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was unavailable for the table-topping clash because of a left ankle injury sustained in its previous game against Bangladesh in Pune. In his place, the hosts chose Suryakumar Yadav. India also brought in pacer Mohammed Shami for bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

In the first innings, Daryl Mitchell hit a century to guide New Zealand to 273 all out against India in Sunday’s top-of-the-table World Cup clash between two unbeaten teams. New Zealand had lost their openers early after being invited to bat first in the Himalayan hill town of Dharamsala but Mitchell (130) and Rachin Ravindra (75) put on 159 to get the innings back on track.

Batting first, New Zealand managed to score 273 runs after losing all their wickets, all thanks to Mohd Shami’s 5-wickets haul, 2 wickets by Kuldeep Yadav, and one each by Bumrah and Siraj. India need 274 runs to wins the match.

A five-wicket haul for the returning Mohammed Shami and with this, he became the first Indian to do so twice at ODI World Cups

 India responded with aggressive batting as they came out to chase the target of 274 runs. Rohit Sharma (46) and Shubhman Gill set the tone for the run chase, with a 71-run opening stand. Between the 33rd and 34th over, the Kiwis had a little window of opportunity. Mitchell Santner’s dismissal of KL Rahul ended Kohli and Rahul’s 50-run partnership. Suryakumar Yadav was then run out for only two runs. However, following a momentary slip-up, India recovered to take control of the game thanks to a 68-run combination between Jadeja and Kohli.