ICC T20 WC: Clinical New Zealand just too good for India

New Zealand beat India by eight wickets to keep their hopes of a semi-final spot alive in the ICC T20 World Cup.

In a Group 2 encounter, India posted a modest 110 for seven in their 20 overs and New Zealand chased down the target in 14.3 overs to finish on 111 for two.

Earlier, India after being asked to bat struggled right through their innings. They lost wickets at regular intervals. India's top-order struggled against accurate New Zealand bowling. They slipped from 35 for one to 48 for three and from there on there was no possibility for India to post a decent total on the board. Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma did try to fight but it was not enough. Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant played a few quiet overs but it was still not enough. The batsmen tried very hard to force the pace, but they struggled against some accurate bowling. Towards the end Ravindra Jadeja struck some blows to finish unbeaten on 26. But in the end, India ended on a paltry 110 for seven.

For New Zealand the best bowlers were Trent Boult (3-20) and Ish Sodhi (2-17).

The chase for New Zealand was simple as they got off to a swift start as Martin Guptill took charge. Daryl Mitchell then took over as he took charge of the chase. Mitchell added 72 runs for the second wicket with captain Kane Williamson. Mitchell finally fell for 49 off 35 balls. He had enough by then to put New Zealand close to a win. From there on captain Williamson applied finishing touches to chase as New Zealand chased down the target in 14.3 overs to finish on 111 for two.

For India the best bowler was Jasprit Bumrah who ended with figures of two for 19.

Earlier, India made two changes bringing in Shardul Thakur for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishan Kishan for an injured Suryakumar Yadav. Elsewhere, New Zealand brought in Adam Milne for Tim Siefert.

Ish Sodhi speaks to the media after New Zealand beat India by eight wickets 

© ICC / T20 World Cup

Match Summary

India: 110-7 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Ishan Kishan-2.5 ov), 2-35 (KL Rahul-5.5 ov), 3-40 (Rohit Sharma-7.4 ov), 4-48 (Virat Kohli-10.1 ov), 5-70 (Rishabh Pant-14.3 ov), 6-94 (Hardik Pandya-18.1 ov), 7-94 (Shardul Thakur-18.4 ov)

New Zealand: 111-2 (14.3)
Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Martin Guptill-3.4 ov), 2-96 (Daryl Mitchell-12.4 ov)

Result: New Zealand won by eight wickets

Scorecard

Things are getting pretty interesting ??

Which two sides will qualify from Group 2? ??#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/2OYclixJDt

— ICC (@ICC) October 31, 2021

Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (captain), Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (captain), Devon Conway (wicket-keeper), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

Match Details

Toss: New Zealand, elected to field
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
Start time: 1800 hrs UAE time
Match officials: Marais Erasmus, Richard Kettleborough (On-field Umpires); Adrian Holdstock (TV Umpire);Langton Rusere (Reserve Umpire); Ranjan Madugalle (Match-referee)

©Cricket World 2021