400 proved to be a bridge too far, but proud of the fight we showed: Williamson

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson stated that it was disappointing to bow out of the World Cup in the semi-finals but admitted that his side were comprehensively outplayed on the night by a clinical Indian unit, who he claimed deserve to be in the final of the competition.

New Zealand were asked to bowl first on a hot and humid afternoon in Mumbai and India took full advantage of the toss, posting a mammoth 397 on the board, batting first. The first innings saw Virat Kohli script history as he posted his 50th ODI ton to go past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and become the outright record-holder for the most number of tons scored in ODIs.

Chasing 398, New Zealand started off shakily, losing both openers quickly, but a mammoth 181-run stand between Williamson and centurion Daryl Mitchell kept the Blackcaps right in the contest. At 220/2 in the 33rd over, the Kiwis were well placed to chase down the target but eventually got floored by a stunning seven-fer by Mohammed Shami, as India scripted a 70-run victory to book their place in the final.

In the post-match presentation, Williamson admitted that 400 proved to be a bridge too far.

"Firstly, congrats to India, they played outstandingly well, probably their best game today. 400 was naturally going to be tough but credit to the guys, proud effort to stay in the fight,” Williamson said.

“Disappointing to go out but super proud of the effort that's gone in for the last seven weeks. The effort was there, but like I said India are top class, have world class batters who didn't give us a sniff really. You come in and get 400, it's a tick in the box. 

“They (India) deserve to be where they are, played outstandingly well. It wasn't to be today but nice to be out there to give ourselves a chance.”

The defeat on Wednesday at the Wankhede meant that New Zealand failed to complete a hat-trick of final appearances, having reached the final in both the 2015 and 2019 editions of the 50-over World Cup.

Williamson admitted that, result-wise, New Zealand wanted to do better but asserted that the team is ‘moving in the right direction’ despite the semi-final defeat. He singled out and showered praise on Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, who have been standouts for the Blackcaps in this World Cup, with both batters amassing over 550 runs in the competition.

“We had some incredible contributions, as a team there was real commitment to the cricket we wanted to play, Rachin and Mitchell were special throughout the campaign, on varied surfaces,” Williamson said.

“They played really, really well. Bowlers chipped in, a lot of fight, proud of that. Even if it didn't go our way, ultimately moving forward as a team, we've taken some really good steps in the right direction."

Williamson’s New Zealand now have a few days off before their next assignment, which is a two-Test series against Bangladesh, starting on November 28th.