(Image Source: AP)
[Saba Sports News] India and New Zealand faced off in Match 21 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on Sunday, October 22. Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field, a decision justified by Mohammed Shami, who secured his third career five-wicket haul, limiting New Zealand to 273.
In the second innings, Rohit Sharma provided a strong start, scoring a brisk 46 off 40 balls, including four fours and four sixes. He signaled his intent early, hitting Trent Boult for a boundary in the first over and launching Matt Henry for a massive six in the second.
However, Rohit was unable to reach his half-century, chopping a delivery from Lockie Ferguson onto his stumps, with India losing their first wicket at 71 in the 11th over.
After his dismissal, Shubman Gill (74 off 81), Shreyas Iyer (33 off 29), and KL Rahul (27 off 35) made starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores as New Zealand made a comeback in the middle overs.
Earlier, New Zealand struggled as they lost openers Devon Conway (0 off 9) and Will Young (17 off 27) with only 17 runs on the board after 8.1 overs. However, Rachin Ravindra (75 off 87) and Daryl Mitchell (130 off 127) shared a crucial 159-run partnership for the third wicket. India regained control as Mohammed Shami secured his third career five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5/54 in ten overs, limiting New Zealand to 273 runs in their allotted 50 overs.