India Player Ratings from World Cup 2023 clash vs New Zealand as Shami & Kohli carry Men in Blue to top of the table
Team India surged to the very top of the 2023 World Cup points table with a four-wicket win over New Zealand at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, October 22.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Mohammed Shami's five-wicket haul dented New Zealand's momentum despite splendid innings from Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra. Virat Kohli led a concerted batting effort in the chase as the Men in Blue got over the line with two overs to spare.
On that note, here are India's player ratings from Match 21 of the 2023 World Cup against New Zealand.
World Cup 2023: Shami takes 5, Kohli leads batting effort for India
Rohit Sharma: 7.5/10
Rohit was beaten on a few instances, but he managed to put the Kiwi bowlers off their lengths by dancing down and being aggressive. The Indian skipper struck four fours and as many sixes in his important knock, but was once again dismissed before making a big score.
Shubman Gill: 6/10
Gill hasn't been at his best in the few matches he has played in this World Cup. He looked out of sorts at the start of his innings, and although his strike rate picked up, he upper-cut a loose delivery from Lockie Ferguson straight to third man.
Virat Kohli: 9/10
Kohli was the star of the show once again, essaying a supremely comfortable innings under pressure. The superstar batter fell short of a century this time, but not before he had steered the Indian ship to the cusp of victory. What a player!
KL Rahul: 6/10
Rahul struck a few nice boundaries in his 27-run knock before being outfoxed by Mitchell Santner. His dismissal put India under a bit of pressure, and his glovework wasn't at its absolute best on the night either.
Shreyas Iyer: 6.5/10
Shreyas came in and tried to bat positively, taking on anything short with aggression. However, once such shot brought about his downfall, just when he seemed set for a big one. The 28-year-old was good on the field.
Suryakumar Yadav: 4/10
Suryakumar was involved in a nightmare mix-up with Kohli that put India under immense pressure. While there's a case to be made that there was a run on offer and it was SKY's call, he really should've done better at that stage of the game.
Ravindra Jadeja: 9/10
Jadeja's drop of Rachin Ravindra was costly, but he somewhat made up for it with a stingy spell. He conceded just two fours and a six in his 10 overs, which went for 48. The southpaw played an invaluable innings with the bat, making an unbeaten 39 in the tricky chase. It wasn't the most fluent knock, but it got the job done.
Kuldeep Yadav: 3/10
Kuldeep had a rare off day as the New Zealand batters didn't let him settle. The left-arm wrist-spinner was taken for three fours and four sixes, ending up as India's most expensive bowler. Even on that kind of day, though, he managed to produce two wickets and came back well in the second half.
Jasprit Bumrah: 8/10
Bumrah was accurate as ever against New Zealand, even though wickets weren't easy to come by. The fast bowler gave up just 45 runs in his spell and picked up one wicket at the death. His fielding, though, was inexcusably poor despite the dodgy outfield.
Mohammed Siraj: 8/10
Siraj had a productive outing on Sunday. He provided the first breakthrough by having Devon Conway caught at midwicket and kept things tight throughout. The fast bowler was unlucky not to have more wickets to his name and ended up as India's joint-most economical bowler.
Mohammed Shami: 9/10
Brought into the playing XI for the first time this World Cup, Shami made an immediate impact. The experienced quick was the pick of the Indian bowlers and picked up five wickets, including three at the death. He got the ball to reverse and hit challenging areas throughout.