ICC World Cup 2023, IND vs NZ semi-final: Virat Kohli and Md. Shami shines as India qualifies for the finals

New Delhi: India finally avenged the 2019 World Cup heartbreak as they defeated New Zealand by 70 runs in the semifinal 1 of the 2023 ICC World Cup and punching their tickets for the finals.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿! 🏆#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 march into the FINAL of #CWC23 🥳#MenInBlue | #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/OV1Omv4JjI

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 15, 2023

New Zealand started their innings in an attacking way, but Md. Shami removed both the openers, Devon Convey (13), and Rachin Ravindra (13), in the span of two overs to give India the lead.

However, New Zealand came back with a strong 181-run partnership for the third wicket between Daryl Mitchell and skipper Kane Williamson, taking New Zealand into a commanding position.

Md. Shami once again came to India’s rescue and removed Kane Williamson (69) and Tom Latham (0) in the span of 3 balls to get India back into the match.

Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips (41) then took the innings forward with 75 75-run partnership for the 5th wicket, but New Zealand again lost two wickets in quick successions to give India firm control.

Daryl Mitchell (134) kept fighting alone for New Zealand, but in the end, he also fell victim to Md. Shami hammered the last nail in New Zealand’s coffin as they got all out on 327 runs, while chasing the 398 runs target given by India, giving the men in blue a huge 70-run victory.

Md. Shami was once again India’s bowler of the day with his 7-wicket haul, while Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav also got one wicket each for themselves.

Earlier, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in the first semifinals of the ICC World Cup 2023.

India started the innings once again in an attacking manner by adding 71 runs for the first wicket.

Rohit Sharma (47) missed his 50 once again after getting trapped by Southee’s slow ball.

Shubham Gill (80*) added 93 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli before getting retired hurt due to Mumbai heat.

Virat Kohli (117) then took charge and scored his record 50th ODI century, going past Sachin’s 49-century record in front of him and became Southee’s second wicket of the match.

The King The GOAT 🐐💯

World Record by King Kohli with 50th ODI Century. #ViratKohli𓃵 #INDvsNZpic.twitter.com/wwU2DPxq5b

— ADVAITH (@SankiPagalAwara) November 15, 2023

Kohli also became the first player to score 700+ runs in a single World Cup edition.

Shreyas Iyer (105) went on to complete his second consecutive century and added another 54 runs with KL Rahul (39*) to take the Indian total to 397 for 4 in 50 overs.

Tim Southee was New Zealand’s most successful bowler with three wickets under his name, while his partner Trent Boult also got one for himself.

Batting (1st innings)

India: 397/4 (50 overs), Virat Kohli- 117 (113), Shreyas Iyer- 105 (70)

Bowling (2nd innings)

New Zealand: Trent Boult- 1/86 (10 overs), Tim Southee- 3/100 (10 overs)

Batting (2nd innings)

New Zealand:  327/8 (48.5 overs) [ Target- 398], Daryl Mitchell- 134 (119), Kane Williamson- 69 (73)

Bowling (2nd innings)

India: Md. Shami- 7/57 (9.5 overs), Jasprit Bumrah- 1/64 (10 overs)

Key Moments

Shami finishes things off

Md. Shami gets his 7th wicket as New Zealand got all-out on 327.

Shami with his 6th

Shami strikes again as Southee departs on 9.

Siraj gets his first

Md. Siraj strikes as Santner departs on 9.

Shami gets the big fish

Md. Shami gets his fifth wicket of the day, and what a wicket that was as the centurion Daryl Mitchell departs on 134.

Kuldeep strikes

Kuldeep removes Chapman as India gets in firm control.

Bumrah strikes

Jasprit Bumrah gets his first as Glenn Phillips departs on 41.

Siraj under attack

Glenn Phillips goes after Siraj scores 20 runs off the 41st over.

Shami strikes twice in one over

Md. Shami gets India back in the match as Williamson and Latham depart in the same over.

100 for Mitchell

Back-to-back centuries against India for Daryl Mitchell.

150 partnership up

Williamson and Mitchell are adding misery to India with a 150-run partnership.

50 for skipper

Kane Williamson completes his 50 in 26th over.

50 for Mitchell

Daryl Mitchell completes his 50.

100 partnership up

Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson complete a 100-run partnership in 87 runs.

Sloppy fielding

Indian fielders are under pressure as they have started to lose grip.

50 partnership up

Mitchell and Williamson take New Zealand back on track with a 50-run partnership.

Daryl Mitchell strikes back

Daryl Mitchell scores two boundaries to start the counterattack.

Maiden over

Jasprit Bumrah keeps things tight with a maiden over against Williamson.

Shami strikes again

Md. Shami gets his second as Rachin Ravindra departs on 13.

Shami and the first ball

Md. Shami strikes the first ball once again as Conway departs on 13.

Bumrah in pressure

Five runs wide from Bumrah as Conway keeps the Indian ace under pressure.

Conway starts on a high

Devon Conway scores two boundaries in the first over to start the chase.

Back-to-back boundaries to finish

KL Rahul scores back-to-back fours to finish the Indian innings.

Boult gets his first

Trent Boult finally gets a wicket as Iyer departs on 105.

Back-to-back century

Shreyas Iyer completes his second consecutive century in

King departs

Southee strikes again as Kohli departs on 117.

Another record

Virat Kohli becomes the first player to score 700 runs in one single edition of the World Cup.

Virat record Kohli

Virat Kohli created history as he became the first player in the history of cricket to complete 50 ODI centuries.

50 up for Iyer

Shreyas Iyer scored his 4th consecutive 50+ score.

100 partnership up

century partnership up between Kohli and Iyer in 79 balls.

India comes back strong after maiden

India after a maiden 35th over, comeback stronger with 17 runs in 36th over.

Rare over from Santner

Mitchell Santner bowls a rare maiden in the 35 over.

Virat with another record

Virat Kohli surpasses Sachin Tendulkar’s 673 runs in one World Cup edition record.

Another 50-partnership up

Kohli and Iyer also completes their 50 runs partnership in 44 balls.

200 up for India

India crosses the 200-run mark in 28.1 overs.

Fifty for Kohli

Kohli brings up his 6th fifty in the ICC World Cup 2023.

[Note: Gill is not out; he can come out to bat later in the innings.]

Gill is struggling

Shubman Gill is seen struggling, and he now walks out retired hurt.

150 up for India

India completes 150 in the 20th over.

Gill goes after Santner

No more respect for Santner from Gill, takes 11 runs from his over.

King and Prince partnership

Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill completes the fifty runs partnership in 46 balls.

Fifty up for Gill

The Indian prince continues his red-hot form and completes his 13th ODI fifty.

Unfazed Gill

Shubman Gill continues to attack despite Rohit’s wicket, scores two boundaries in 10th over. India 84 for 1 after the first powerplay.

Review against Kohli

New Zealand takes a review against Kohli, but its bat first. New Zealand loses its review.

Southee gets the big fish

Tim Southee gets his man as Rohit Sharma departs on 47.

Shubman Gill changes gears

Gill joins his captain in attack and goes for 9 runs in the eighth over.

50 up for India

India completes his 50 in just 32 deliveries.

Another big over for India

Rohit goes behind Boult once again with another six for India.

Attack continues

Rohit continues to go full-throttle scores boundary, followed by a six against Southee.

Lofted from Rohit

Rohit scores the first six of the match in the third over, India 25/0 after 3.

Shubman joins the party

Gill follows Rohit’s footsteps and scores consecutive boundaries in the second over, India 18/0 after 2.

Back-to-back boundaries

Rohit Sharma starts aggressively with consecutive boundaries against Boult, India 10/0 after 1.

Match Preview

India has remained undefeated in the league stages with 9 wins in 9 games and will be running high on confidence with all three departments clicking at the same time.

In the batting department, the skipper Rohit Sharma and Subhman Gill are providing their team with quick starts, allowing the coming batsmen time to settle down.

Ro-Ko 👉 Second only to God & Dada 💙

Will India’s favourite 𝘫𝘰𝘥𝘪 do us proud once more? 🇮🇳🤞

Tune-in to the 1st Semi-Final #INDvNZ
TODAY, 12 PM onwards | Star Sports Network#CWC23 #WorldCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/OSUIhaYJzx

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 15, 2023

Virat Kohli is leading the chart of the top run scorer in the tournament, and with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul getting centuries in the last league game against the Netherlands, the Indian batting line-up is looking much more stable than ever.

In bowling Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj and Md. Shami is providing their team with early breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are keeping things tight and also taking wickets in the middle overs, giving India an all-round dominance and a perfect recipe for the 2019 heartbreak revenge.

Revenge time India! 🔥 #INDvsNZ
pic.twitter.com/a1oZoTWswX

— Dennis🕸 (@DenissForReal) November 15, 2023

New Zealand, on the other hand, has to work a way lot to qualify for the semifinals, but the playing field is even when the knockout round begins for everyone.

The black caps are riding high with their openers Devon Convey and Rachin Ravindra scoring big runs for them, while the return of skipper Kane Williamson has given their batting a huge boost.

Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips are playing attack cricket in the middle, and Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner are also providing crucial support in the end.

The bowling department of the black caps looked a little less convincing in the later stages of the tournament, and the loss of their frontline bowler, Matt Henry, might be a problem for them.

However, Trent Boult getting back in form in the final league game alongside Tim Southee’s experience can create trouble for the men in blue.

Mitchell Santner is the only bowler who has been constant with the ball for the New Zealand team, but they need more bowlers to step up for them in the semifinals against the unstoppable-looking team of India.

India and New Zealand have come face-to-face with each other 10 times in the World Cup previously, in which the black caps have emerged victorious 5 times, while the men in blue have been able to get the win 4 times. One match between the two sides has ended in no results.