Asif Iqbal
Srinagar: Known for his chasing prowess, Virat Kohli on Sunday shone yet again to sail his side through the two decade long losing drought against New Zealand. The win has helped India to retain its top position on the table.
New Zealand asked to bat first after losing the toss, has had many hits and misses throughout the match. After the early fall of Devon Conway and Will Young, it again was left to young Rachin Ravindra. The man in form alongside Daryl Mitchell, who had a silent campaign so far in the tournament, batted sensibly to stitch a partnership of 186 runs. However it was all for Ravindra as Shami, who made his first appearance in the ongoing World Cup, got him out at his individual score of 75.
Mitchell on the other side continued with his innings and went on to score a century however other batters could hardly exhibit any resistance and went one after another – courtesy brute of a spell by Mohammad Shami who took a fifer to restrict the opponents on 273 runs.
Given the batting line up of India, with each batter looking in stupendous touch, 273 run target was always to be achievable. However with the 2 decade long jinx, many had kept their fingers crossed with New Zealand being an evenly competitive side.
The opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave an expected start for the team – however one they fell, the burden shifted to last match centurion Chasemaster Virat ‘King’ Kohli. Negotiating a tough phase, Kohli dealt with the Kiwi bowlers his own way, truce-attack-truce. The Kiwi bowlers were left guessing throughout as how to deal with the class of Kohli and by the time they had any whiff, the match was already over.
However it was Mohammad Shami who made a fierce comeback at a time when Kiwi batters Rachin and Mitchell aimed to make it big. For his five wicket haul, Shami was deservingly named as Player of the Match.
With this win, India broke the two decade long jinx as it had won its last match against Kiwis in year 2003.
The host team now has 10 points in five matches it has played so far.
Notably, BCCI Secretary & President Asia Cricket Council (ACC) Jay Shah, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of India Anurag Thakur and other high profile figures were present at the iconic Dharamshala Stadium to witness the match.
Discover more from Alfaaz - The Words
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.