Follow UsNew Zealand made things extremely difficult for India in the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup in India, but Rohit Sharma and his men managed to hold their nerves and confirmed their spot in the grand finale. The hosts won all their nine games in the league stage, but Indian captain Rohit said that he knew New Zealand would put them under pressure.
Despite amassing 397 in the first innings and the Black Caps losing two wickets in the powerplay, Daryl Mitchell (119-ball 134) and Kane Williamson (73-ball 69) put on 181 runs for the third wicket and kept New Zealand in the game. However, that’s when Mohammed Shami stood up and won the game for India.
The 33-year-old claimed 7/57 in 9.5 overs and registered the best figures for India in ODI cricket. That’s not it, Shami is now the leading wicket-taker in the competition despite playing just six games. The paceman has taken 23 wickets at an average of 9.13, studded with three five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul.
“I have played a lot of cricket here, you cannot relax. You got to get the job done as quickly as possible. We knew there'd be pressure on us. We were calm even though we were a bit sloppy on the field. These things are bound to happen, glad that we could get the job done,” said Rohit during the post-match presentation ceremony.
“When the scoring rate is above 9, you gotta take chances. They gave us chances, we didn't take them. Mitchell and Williamson batted brilliantly. We had to stay calm. The crowd went silent, that's the nature of the game. We knew we had to pull something from our sleeves. We tried everything and Shami was brilliant.”
In the first innings, Rohit (29-ball 47) and Shubman Gill (66-ball 80*) got India off to a fiery start. Virat Kohli (113-ball 117) then did his thing and broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most centuries in the 50-over format. Gill had to go back after getting cramps but Shreyas Iyer took over and smoked 105 off 70 deliveries, which turned out to be a game-changing knock.
“The top five-six batters, they have made it count. Very pleased with what Iyer has done in this tournament. Gill, the way he batted upfront was brilliant, unfortunately, he had to return back. Kohli, as usual, was brilliant, played his trademark innings and got to his landmark. All in all, the batting was superb. That's the template we want to move with.”
Shami was rightly named Player of the Match. The right-arm seamer first dismissed both openers - Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra - inside eight overs and then returned to break the dangerous stand between Williamson and Mitchell. He now has the most five-wicket hauls in the World Cup and also delivered the best spell in a knockout game.
“I was waiting for my turn. I wasn't playing much white-ball cricket. I had in mind, we talk about a lot of things like yorkers and slower balls. I tried to take wickets with the new ball. I try to take as many as I can with the new ball,” said Shami after the match.
“I dropped the catch of Kane. I felt bad. I tried to take pace off. They were playing their shots. So, I took a chance. The wicket was good. There was the fear of dew. The grass was cut off nicely. The runs were enough. Had the dew come in, things could have been bad. The slower balls might not have worked.
“I feel amazing. This is a huge platform. We lost in the semis in the 2015 and the 2019 WC. Looking to cash in with the chance I have been given. We don't know when all of us will get a chance like this again.”