DHARAMSALA (Web Desk) – India have defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the ICC World Cup 2023 21st match at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
Virat Kohli's 95 runs put India in a winning position to secure victory.
Earlier, New Zealand gave a target of 274 to India with Daryl Mitchell helping his side to put up a fighting total in the match.
New Zealand were all out for 273 due to a brilliant bowling display from Mohammed Shami who claimed five wickets.
Earlier Coverage
India won the toss and opted to bowl first against New Zealand.
As things stand, two unbeaten teams, India and New Zealand, occupy the top two spots in the standings, but thanks to their superior net run rate, the Kiwis are placed above the hosts.
India have so far gotten the better of Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and most recently, Bangladesh.
However, they now face their biggest test of the World Cup against their nemesis of ICC events, New Zealand.
In the last outing against Bangladesh, a fighting bowling display in the middle and death overs helped them restrict the opposition to 256.
In reply, a century from Virat Kohli and contributions from the rest of the batters took India over the line with 7 wickets in hand and 8.3 overs to spare.
The Men in Blue were given a huge injury scare when Hardik Pandya twisted his left ankle while trying to stop the ball in his follow through and walked off during the first inning.
The star all-rounder has not travelled to Dharamsala for this game, but he is expected to return for the fixture against England in Lucknow.
In his absence, the team balance does take a hit, which raises a selection conundrum for the Indian team management.
Suryakumar Yadav looks the most likely to replace the all-rounder, but Ishan Kishan is also a good option with his ability to counter the left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner.
In the pace department, Shardul Thakur has not been able to have the impact his golden arm is known for.
With Dharamsala expected to assist pacers, India might opt for a three-pronged attack by bringing in Mohammed Shami for Shardul Thakur.
Jasprit Bumrah has been sensational with the new ball as well as during the death overs, while Mohammed Siraj has not been that effective upfront, but he has managed to deliver the goods in the middle phase.
With the bat, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have done the bulk of scoring, while KL Rahul has impressively gone about his work, batting at number 5.
Returning from illness, Shubman Gill has shown no signs of rustiness and even notched up his maiden ODI World Cup fifty against Bangladesh.
On the other hand, New Zealand came into this World Cup as a dark horse, and as always, they have punched above their weight.
With four wins out of four, they are off to a dream start in their quest for their maiden ODI World Cup title.
In their previous encounter against Afghanistan, impactful knocks from Will Young, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips powered them to a daunting total.
A complete effort with the ball saw them skittle out Afghanistan for 139 to secure a massive victory by 149 runs.
In Kane Williamson's absence, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra have shouldered the responsibility for New Zealand.
Will Young has scored consecutive fifties, while Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips will be pleased to have got runs under their belt against Afghanistan.
Trent Boult and Matt Henry have had the new ball on a string, while Lockie Ferguson, with his raw pace, has hurried batters with the old ball. Playing as the lone frontline spinner, Mitchell Santner has bowled with a lot of control and will hold the key against India, whose top five batters are all right-handers.
It has been two decades since New Zealand last suffered a defeat against India in ICC tournaments. Will they extend their dominance? Or will India break the hoodoo in the foothills of the Himalayas? We will find out soon enough.
TEAM WATCH
INDIA: Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan/Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami/Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
NEW ZEALAND: Probable XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c&wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson