India recorded their fifth straight win in the ICC World Cup 2023 as they beat New Zealand by four wickets on Sunday, October 22. Mohammed Shami, playing in his first game in the tournament, took five wickets to bowl out New Zealand on 273 runs and then a sensational 95-run knock from Virat Kohli helped India towards an easy win.
Rohit won the toss for India and elected to bowl first at Dharamsala's Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. Shami and Suryakumar Yadav replaced Shardul Thakur and injured Hardik Pandya for India while Kane Williamson-less New Zealand remained unchanged.
Mohammed Siraj gave India a flying start with Devon Conway's valuable wicket in the fourth over. Both Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj were excellent with their initial spells, but Mohammed Shami made the biggest impact.
Shami bowled out in-form Will Young on his first delivery in the tournament during the ninth over to put India in control of the game. But New Zealand made a comeback from early setbacks through Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra.
Daryl and Rachin registered a record-breaking 159 runs for the third wicket to put New Zealand on a track for the big total. Rachin scored his third fifty-plus score in the tournament with 75 runs off 87 balls before losing his wicket to Shami. India managed to take the momentum with successive wickets after Rachin's dismissal to deny their opponent a 300-plus total.
Shami managed to take his second five-wicket haul in the ODI World Cup history while Daryl managed to bring his maiden World Cup hundred. Daryl top-scored with 130 runs off 127 balls as New Zealand scored 273/10 in 50 overs.
Rohit and Shubman Gill produced another perfect start while chasing for India. The in-form duo added 71 runs for the opening wicket to put India in the driving seat but the star speedster Lockie Ferguson balanced the game with two wickets.
Kohli and Shreyas Iyer kept the scoreboard moving in the middle overs with a 56-run stand for the third wicket. New Zealand tried to make a comeback with KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav's wickets in quick succession but Kohli kept India ahead in the game with another brilliant knock.
Spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja partnered with Kohli to push India towards an easy win. Kohli-Jadeja added 78 runs for the sixth wicket to ensure a big win for India. Kohli lost his wicket while attempting a big shot to bring his century but India were in firm control to finish the game without any trouble.
Kohli top-scored with 95 runs off 104 balls while Jadeja scored unbeaten 39 runs off 44. Mohammed Shami picked the Player of the Match award ahead of Kohli and Daryl Mitchell.
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand Playing XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
