New Delhi: The curse is finally broken as India defeats New Zealand for the first time in an ICC tournament after 2003. New Zealand gave India a target of 274 runs, which the men in blue chased down in 48th over with 4 wickets to spare. India 🇮🇳 make it FIVE in a row! Ravindra Jadeja with the winning runs 🔥🔥 King Kohli 👑 reigns supreme in yet another run-chase for #TeamIndia 😎#CWC23 | #MenInBlue | #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/d6pQU7DSra — BCCI (@BCCI) October 22, 2023 India started their chase in an attacking manner as the openers gave them a great start once again in the tournament by adding 71-runs for the first wicket. Then they lost both the openers Rohit Sharma (46) and Subhman Gill (26), inside two overs as India was forced on backfoot by the black caps. Virat Kohli then added 52 runs partnership with Shreyas Iyer (39) and 54 runs partnership with KL Rahul (27), to take India to a somewhat commanding position. However, when everything seems to be going in India's direction, Surya Kumar Yadav (2) was run out after a mix-up, reducing India to 191 for 5 and putting the pressure back on the men in blue. In the end, the last match hero Virat Kohli (95) once again partnered with Ravindra Jadeja (39*), ensuring India's victory and promotion to the top of the table before getting out. Some 95's are greater than Century !#INDvsNZ #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/QjFWHualNl — Varad (@Cric_varad) October 22, 2023 Lockie Furguson was the most successful bowler for New Zealand with 2 wickets under his belt, while Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner took one wicket each. Earlier, after winning the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma invited the black caps to bat first. India started well with the ball as Md. Siraj removed the in-form Devon Conway on 0. The returning Shami then removed the other opener, Will Young (17), to reduce the New Zealand innings to 19 for 2. However, Kiwi's first match hero Rachin Ravindra (75) and Daryl Mitchell, added 159 runs for the third wicket to rebuild the Indian innings. Daryl Mitchell was dropped by Bumrah, and making the most of this opportunity, New Zealand number 4 scored a crucial century innings of 130 to help his team reach a challenging total of 273 for 10 in 50 overs. Md. Shami was India's star of the day his 5-wicket haul on his return, Kuldeep got 2, while Bumrah and Siraj got one wicket each. Match summary: Batting (1st inning) New Zealand: 273/10 (50 overs)- D. Mitchell- 130 (127), Rachin Ravindra- 75 (87) Bowling (1st innings) India: Md. Shami: 5/54 (10 overs), Kuldeep Yadav: 2/73 (10 overs) Batting (2nd innings) India: 274/6 (48 overs) [Target: 274]- Virat Kohli- 95 (104), Rohit Sharma - 46 (40) Bowling (2nd innings) New Zealand: Lockie Ferguson- 2/63 (8 overs), Trent Boult- 1/60 (10 overs) Key moments: Fifty partnership up Virat Kohli stitches one more 50+ partnership in this match, this time with Jadeja to get India back on track. Yes-No gone A mix-up in the middle and Surya Kumar Yadav is run-out 50 for Kohli Kohli completes his 69th ODI fifty in 33rd over. Santner strikes Mitchell Santner strikes to halt India's advance once again. Fifty partnership up Kohli and Rahul completes 50-run partnership as India once again takes control of the chase. Boult strikes Trent Boult strikes as Iyer departs on 33. Lockie strikes again Lockie Ferguson strikes again in his second over as Gill departs on 26. Rohit departs Rohit Sharma gets out on 46 as Lockie Ferguson strikes. Fastest to 2k Subhman Gill becomes the fastest to reach 2000 ODI runs in ODI cricket. Shami's fifer Md. Shami completes his five-wicket haul as Daryl Mitchell departs on 130. Shami gets 2 in 1 Md. Shami gets two wickets in one over to reach the four-wicket mark. Bumrah strikes Jasprit Bumrah gets his first wicket as Chapman departs on 6. Kuldeep gets his second Kuldeep Yadav gets his second as New Zealand lost its fifth on 243. 100 for Mitchell Daryl Mitchell converts his fifth ODI fifty into a well-deserved fifth ODI 100. Kuldeep gets his first Kuldeep Yadav gets his first wicket of the match as Tom Latham departs on 5. Shami with the breakthrough Md. Shami gets his second wicket as he gets rid of Rachin Ravindra. 100 partnership up 100 partnership up between Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra Fifty for Rachin Rachin Ravindra completes his third ODI fifty in the 23rd over. First ball strike Md. Shami strikes on his very first ball as Will Young departs on 17. Siraj draws the first blood Md. Siraj strikes first as Devon Conway departs on 0. Will to start NZ opener Will Young opened the account with the first boundary of the match. Maiden start Jasprit Bumrah opens the proceedings for India with a maiden. Both New Zealand and India are yet to lose a match and have won 4 out of their 4 matches so far, and on Sunday, they will give everything to win and claim the undisputed title of the table toppers and the undefeated team of the ICC World Cup 2023. India is riding high on confidence, with their batters, bowlers, and fielders all chipping in to make them firm favourites to win the tournament at home and end their decade-long hunt for an ICC trophy. Skipper Rohit Sharma is leading the charge with the bat by providing an attacking start in the innings and is equally complimented by the likes of Subhman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer. The bowlers are also doing a good job under Bumrah and Jadeja and show the character that they can make a comeback from any situation. The only issue going into the match for the man in blue will be the absence of their star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who will be missing the match, no thanks to an injury he picked up while bowling against Bangladesh in the last match. However, India wouldn't be bothered much as they have a strong bench, and even the players on the bench have the capability to win any match by themselves. On the other hand, the black caps are also doing an excellent job in all departments. Devon Convey and Rachin Ravindra are leading the free with Will Young, who has proven himself as a great addition to the team in the absence of their regular skipper, Kane Williamson. Glenn Phillips and Tom Latham, in the last match, also proved that they could turn the tide of the match when they rescued their team from a tough spot against Afghanistan. Their bowling unit is led by Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner, who have proven to be effective on any kind of surface. Both teams have a bittersweet rivalry between themselves at the ICC events and will be looking at a whole new chapter in their rivalry book on Sunday.
