Kane Williamson reacts funnily after stopping a hard hit from Hardik Pandya during IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy match [Watch]
New Zealand stalwart Kane Williamson reacted amusingly after stopping a fiercely hit shot of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya during their 2025 Champions Trophy match on Sunday (March 2) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The interesting moment transpired during the 45th over of India's innings when Hardik was on strike, facing lanky Kiwi pacer William O'Rourke.
On the fifth ball of the over, William bowled a 143.9 kph good length delivery wide of off stump. Hardik Pandya played a cut short with good timing but could not find a gap as the ball went straight to Kane Williamson at backward point. Williamson stopped the ball, and reacted funnily in pain before flinching his hands.
You can watch the moment in the video below:
Matt Henry's 5-wicket haul helps New Zealand in restricting India to 249/9 in 2025 Champions Trophy clash
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bowl first in Sunday's encounter. Pacer Matt Henry stole the show in the bowling department, picking up a five-wicket haul as they restricted India to 249/9 in 50 overs. Four other bowlers supported him, taking one wicket each to round off a collective effort from the Kiwis.
Shreyas Iyer top-scored for Men in Blue with a wonderful knock of 79 (98), rescuing the team after a top-order collapse. Hardik Pandya (45) also chipped in with a crucial contribution in the death overs. During the mid-innings break, New Zealand pacer Matt Henry reflected on his team's bowling performance, saying (via Cricbuzz):
"I think the way we came out there and the surface helped and put India under pressure. Very happy with the total but still need to do a big job with the bat. We talked about getting wickets and the pressure was getting us wickets. There are some ebbs and flows on this wicket and if we can put the pressure back on, that should help us."
At the time of the writing, New Zealand were 44/1 in 10 overs.