"Witnessing a team like this comes once in a generation"- Badminton superstar PV Sindhu after India's win vs New Zealand in semi-final of World Cup
Indian badminton player PV Sindhu reacted to India's victory against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 World Cup on Wednesday (November 15). Team India took revenge for the loss in the 2019 semis with a 70-run win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Even though the Men in Blue won all nine matches in the league phase in the lead-up to the semi-final, fans were anxious as New Zealand had the wood on India at ICC tournaments over the past two decades, especially in knock-out games.
Rohit Sharma and his men put on a dominant show in the first innings of the match on Wednesday and mounted pressure on New Zealand by notching up a total of 397/4 in 50 overs. The Kiwis tried their best in the steep chase but could only reach 327 in 48.5 overs before being bowled out.
Team India won their 10th match in a row in the tournament and stormed into the finals. Taking to her official X (formerly Twitter) handle after the match, PV Sindhu wrote:
"Witnessing a team like this comes once in a generation. Every player contributing, Virat doing his magic, Shreyas firing at the perfect moment, Shami adding the finishing touches, and Rohit doing his thing. The excitement for the final is beyond words!!!"
"I'm happy we got the job done in the end"- India captain Rohit Sharma after the win against New Zealand
At the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma opened up about his experience of playing in the Wankhede Stadium and how one cannot relax as any score is chaseable at the venue. Reflecting on the win, he said:
"I've played a lot of cricket here. Any score on this ground is chaseable. You cannot relax. You got to get the job done as quickly as possible. We knew there'd be pressure and partnerships."
"We just had to stay collected, and that's what we did. Even though we were a bit sloppy on the field, that can happen. These things are bound to happen, but I'm happy we got the job done in the end."
India will face the winner of second semi-final (Australia vs South Africa) in the summit clash in Ahmedabad on Sunday.