Rohit Sharma was a pleased captain as India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dharamsala on Sunday (October 22) to continue their winning streak in the ongoing World Cup.
Opting to bowl first, the Men in Blue restricted New Zealand to 273/10 in 50 overs on the back of Mohammad Shami’s five-wicket haul (5/54).
In reply, Rohit (46) and Shubman Gill (26) provided the team with a strong 71-run stand but it was Virat Kohli who stole the show with his match-winning knock.
The hosts kept losing wickets in the middle overs and were struggling at 191/5 in the 34th over, but Kohli held the one end firmly and slammed 95 off 104 balls.
While Virat got out when the team needed 5 runs off 15 balls, Ravindra Jadeja stayed unbeaten on 39 to seal the deal for India with two overs to spare.
Speaking after the game, India skipper Rohit Sharma hailed Shami for his astonishing spell of fast bowling.
"Good start to the tournament but job is half done. Shami took the opportunity with both hands. He's got class and so much experience and he used the conditions really well. At one stage NZ put up a big partnership there. Dew came in as well. But we have to give credits to the bowlers in the back end,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
The Indian captain reflected on his opening partnership with Shubman Gill and was also effusive in praise of Kohli and Jadeja for taking the team home.
“Shubman and I compliment each other quite well in the middle. Couldn't get big enough runs ourselves but happy to win. Nothing much to say about Virat. We've seen him do this for so many years. He backs himself to do the job. Towards the end there was a bit of pressure with a few wickets lost, but Kohli and Jadeja took us home,” he added.
Rohit rued the missed opportunities they failed to grab while fielding in Dharamsala.
“Fielding is something we pride ourselves on. It wasn't as clinical as we'd like to. Couple of dropped catches but those guys are good, Jadeja is among the best in the game. We love travelling and playing in different parts of the country. So far we have not been disappointed and we have not disappointed the crowd as well,” he concluded.
It was India’s fifth consecutive victory in this showpiece event and they have now displaced New Zealand from the top of the points table.
