India out of World Cup 2019:Black Caps defeat ‘Men in Blue’ to enter grand finale
New Zealand defeated India by 18 runs in the first semifinal of the ICC World Cup played at the Old Trafford cricket ground at Manchester to secure a berth in the grand finale of the marquee event.
New Zealand have set a target of 240 runs for India to win. Team India’s start to chase the target was not good and the Indian team lost their four wickets.
It rained on Tuesday, Wednesday morning was cloudy. New Zealand ended up scored 239, a total they were reasonably happy with but one which not many backed them to defend. Rahul, Rohit and Kohli have scored almost 1500 collective runs in the World Cup 2019. And then Trent Boult and Matt Henry were handed the ball, in scenarios preferred.
On the day – sorry, on the two days – that mattered most, New Zealand were too good for India. Eighteen runs too good. A big margin, given the circumstances. An Indian team boasting Rohit Sharma, with a record five centuries in this World Cup, Kohli and the top-ranked bowler in ODIs, Jasprit Bumrah, was beaten.
Defending a 239-run total, the Kiwis bowled out India for 221 with Matt Henry picking up 3 wickets and other Kiwi bowlers collectively bowling well as a unit.
Despite being knocked out of ICC Cricket World Cup after their loss in the semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday, Team India has earned praises for showing tremendous fighting spirit throughout the tournament. Virat Kohli and his team had lost just one match till their crucial encounter against the Kiwis but, according to the captain, just the first 45 minutes of the chase resulted in the entire campaign coming off its hinges. And while the cricketers may opt to take solace from the sympathies from a billion-plus fans, questions are already being raised about how the Men in Blue went about in their hunt for 240 runs at Manchester’s Old Trafford.
MANCHESTER: They suffered a hat-trick of losses, but New Zealand have done it. They are World Cup finalists for a second straight time. Surprised? Well, don’t be. New Zealand are the masters of defending low totals – they haven’t scored 300 yet – and they proved it yet again by defending 240 against the No. 1 team on the league stage, the hot favorites, the batting juggernaut, that is India.
New Zealand will now face the winners of another World Cup 2019 semi-final clash between Australia and England in the summit showdown at Lord’s on July 14.
Source: Inputs From Agencies
