India suffered a humiliating eight-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand.
Former South African pacer Dale Steyn said Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be gutted with defeat against New Zealand in their recent ICC T20 World Cup 2021 encounter in Dubai on Oct 31.
The chances of Team India qualifying for the semi-finals of the ongoing tournament have been almost shattered after New Zealand crushed the Virat Kohli-led side in their second game of the tournament.
Asked to bat first, Team India didn’t look settled in the middle as the top order once again perished in no time and ‘Men in Blue’ were reduced to 48/4 at the start of the 11th over.
The likes of Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja tried to rescue their team but it was only a matter of time as New Zealand bowlers were on the top of their game and made it difficult for the Virat Kohli-led to score runs.
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Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi combined to take 5 wickets and restricted Team India to the score of just 110 runs. Chasing the target, New Zealand openers were in a hurry to finish the match.
Even though Martin Guptill perished after scoring 20 runs, Daryl Mitchell smashed India bowlers all over the park for his 49-run knock. Skipper Kane Williamson too chipped in and remained unbeaten on 33 runs and took his team home with more than five overs remaining.
Speaking after the match, former South African speedster Dale Steyn said that Indian skipper would’ve been gutted with the way they have played today.
"Virat Kohli will be gutted, losing a game they just had to win tonight whereas New Zealand will be jubilant. I feel bad for India,” Dale Steyn told Star Sports.
For Team India to qualify for the semi-finals now, they need to win all the remaining three matches by big margins and their chances will also depend on the result of other teams as well. The Virat Kohli-led side will next take on Afghanistan on 3rd November at Abu Dhabi.