ODI World Cup 2023: India vs New Zealand, Match 21 – Who Said What?

Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

India and New Zealand crossed swords in match 21 of the ODI World Cup 2023 for a Super Sunday clash, on October 22. The Rohit Sharma-led side went in without the likes of Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur, as Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami played their first game of the tournament, respectively. Opting to bowl first, India got off to an excellent start, as they got a couple of early wickets. However, a record-breaking partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra got the Kiwis out of trouble.

In the end, New Zealand got bundled out for 273 in 50 overs, as India needed 274 runs to end their winning drought against the Kiwis. In reply, the Indian batters started well but lost a couple of wickets in quick succession. Then, Virat Kohli marked his presence at the crease and stood between New Zealand and victory. Courtesy of his heroics, India chased the target quite comfortably and moved 5-0 up in the mega cricketing event.

Here are the talking points from the match:

1. Rachin Ravindra-Daryl Mitchell put up a show

After a few early wickets, the duo of Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra ensured there were no further hiccups in the second powerplay, as they ended up notching a record 159-run stand between them. While Ravindra could manage to score 75 runs, Mitchell converted his start into a big score and scored 130 (127 balls).

2. Mohammed Shami’s brilliant five-for

Mohammed Shami, who was representing India in his first-ever outing in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, struck on his very first delivery by taking the wicket of Will Young. Further, he also broke the dangerous partnership by dismissing Rachin Ravindra. Then in his final spell, Shami took three crucial wickets and ensured his second five-for in World Cups. Shami ended his spell with 5/54 in 10 overs.

3. Virat Kohli – the chase master

After a terrific start by the openers, Virat Kohli arrived at the crease when India needed more than 200 runs to win. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals, but Kohli stood still and managed to build small partnerships with middle-order batters. He got engaged in a match-defining stand with Ravindra Jadeja, as the duo took India to a rather comfortable position. Kohli could not reach his hundred, as he fell shy by just five runs from the landmark.

Who Said What

Mohammed Shami Player of the Match: Got a lot of confidence after taking a wicket on the first ball. If your team mates are doing well, you should support them, it’s important that the team performs well, I understand that. It was important to pick those late wickets, you always want your team to be the top side. Very happy that I got those wickets and India is on top of the table.

Tom Latham (Losing skipper): We played reasonably well. We didn’t quite capitalize in the last 10. We left a little out there. But credit to India. We weren’t able to get the double breakthrough with the ball. Rachin and Mitchell had a fantastic partnership to set us up for the last 10. We have a perfect group. We want to be in those positions. Rachin with the bat, Daryl with the 100. The bowlers did well. He played a fantastic innings. He controlled the tempo for them for others to bat around him. Just try to be proactive and focus on the matchups a little. Another good innings from him. We have a few days off. We have a day game here. We want to do good stuffs.