India vs New Zealand Highlights, 2023 World Cup: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in semifinal ft: Virat Kohli
Team India was finally able to bury the ghosts of Manchester from four years ago as it beat New Zealand comfortably by 70 runs in the 2023 World Cup semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15.
Opting to bat first, the Men in Blue posted a mammoth 397/4, thanks to a quickfire 47 from Rohit Sharma and sensational hundreds from Virat Kohli (117) and Shreyas Iyer (105). The Kiwis did give a fight on the back of a stunning 134 from Daryl Mitchell, but they couldn't quite keep the longevity going as they were bundled out for 327.
On that note, let's take a look at three moments from the game that grabbed the attention of the fans on social media:
#3 Rohit Sharma's fearless approach
Rohit Sharma has been batting with an incredibly ultra-aggressive approach throughout the tournament. While there were doubts as to whether the Indian captain would be able to do it in a knockout game, Rohit made his intentions clear against Trent Boult.
The opener danced down the track and smashed Boult for a six over covers, making a statement that he meant business and was not going to bat any different irrespective of whether it was a league game or a knockout. His quickfire 47 once again allowed the Men in Blue to fly off the blocks in such a big game.
#2 Virat Kohli's 50th ODI hundred
It was almost poetic that star batter Virat Kohli got to his 50th ODI hundred and went past his idol, the great Sachin Tendulkar, with the latter being in attendance at the Wankhede Stadium. Kohli seemed pretty emotional after reaching the milestone and understandably so, as he became the only player in the history of the game to get to 50 ODI hundreds.
Kohli bowed down to Tendulkar in his celebration and it was truly an emotional moment for fans with the legendary former cricketer applauding him for the incredible feat. The icing on the cake was that it happened in a World Cup semifinal when India needed Kohli to fire the most.
#1 Mohammed Shami's double strike
Mohammed Shami continued his incredible 2023 World Cup campaign by registering the best figures ever by an Indian pacer in ODIs. His figures of 7/57 helped him surpass Stuart Binny's 6/4 and that too in such a massive knockout game.
The moment that stood out was when he broke the partnership between Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell. The duo added 181 runs for the third wicket and it seemed like the Kiwis would have an unlikely charge towards the target. However, Shami dismissed Williamson and then sent back Tom Latham in the same over, putting India back in the ascendancy.
Thanks to the incredible seven-wicket haul, Shami now has 23 wickets from just six games and is the current highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
To watch the highlights of the entire match, click here.