World Cup: Shami, Kohli shine as India win 5th match on the trot, break 20-year-old losing streak against New Zealand

India continued its unbeaten run as they rode on Virat Kohli's 95 to defeat New Zealand by five wickets in the league fixture of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Dharamsala. Pacer Mohammed Shami also played his part to perfection by grabbing a five-for. Writes Meenakshi Rao.

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh): In a Raymond act of completeness, team India ended its 20-year drought of a World Cup win against New Zealand in a league match in Dharamsala. It was a consummate show of perseverance, patience and doggedness, first with the ball and then the bat that defied the famed Kiwi cordon.

As Ravindra Jadeja hit the four to wrap up the match with 12 balls to spare, and India recorded a four-wicket win over the Kiwis, the firecracker show and led lights took over the action in the middle to celebrate the momentous occasion. Pegged on a Mohammed Shami five-for, yet another masterclass by champion chaser Virat Kohli, who departed at 95 in 104 balls in a bid to record a century with a six, and a doughty Ravindra Jadeja (39 not out with three fours and a six), the India win looked both rosy and robust and was as much for the heart as it was for the mind.

Though India, for the first time in this tournament lost more wickets than four, it was the riveting duel that turned out to be the ultimate showstopper. This one was for the history books but more importantly a shot in the arm for the ongoing campaign that Rohit Sharma and his men have undertaken to reach the top of the table.

The very fact that the Indian fightback meandered through several ups and downs, what with a 149-run Rachin Ravindra- Daryl Mitchell partnership, the battering of Kuldeep Yadav, the cheap exits of debutant Surya Kumar Yadav and master player KL Rahul, made the victory sweet.

Rohit Sharma’s firepower, Virat Kohli’s flourish, Mohammed Shami’s death delight and Jasprit Bumrah’s Shylock mindset stood taller than Kiwi perseverance, pace and guile. Indeed, it was a clash of titans with neither blue nor black giving an inch, making it a well-contested match with not a moment of respite.

That India made it through the nail-biter will bring them to the top of the table and give them the gumption and courage to fight another day. There was hardly any show of wantonness by any player in any department if one ignores Shreyas Iyer’s continued vulnerability to the short ball or Shubman Gill’s quest for longevity despite the skill set. Other than that, much like Pakistan, India has started depending more and more on the bowling department even as the batting continues to defy pace and spin aggressors.

Virat Kohli’s carefully constructed 95, accorded yet another halo around his propensity to build, save and lionise the fortunes of his team. Not to forget the role of Ravindra Jadeja in this clash, where he quickly finished his 10-over spell mending the damage being done to his comrade in arms Kuldeep Yadav at the other end. He then played the sheet anchor as the last established batter in the line-up to take the team home after Virat Kohli departed.

Virat Kohli paced the innings like a veteran, taking no chances or heart-in-the-mouth shots, preferring stability over audacity and delivering a class act with the bat. It was only when India needed 23 runs to wrap up the match that he changed gear to hammer a returning Trent Boult to a six and a boundary in quick succession.

The all-round performance of this dispensation showed through the fact that India reached its 250 runs in 45.5 overs and knitted three 50-run partnerships in the bargain. It was unfortunate that Surya Kumar Yadav’s much-awaited World Cup debut ended disastrously and quickly when he was run out at just two after a mix-up with Virat Kohli.

But the heartbreak was ably guided through the traps and turns set up for Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. Not to mention the Rohit Sharma show that set the ball rolling – mostly to the rope both aerially and in a grounded manner. He made an aggressive 46 with four boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 115 before being bowled by Lockie Ferguson, giving the stage to his commandant Virat Kohli.

Earlier,Mohammed Shami returned to the limelight with a thumping statement that he belongs to the middle and not the bench that he had been warming till now in the World Cup. And he signed that paper with a five-wicket haul against New Zealand, signifying how much of an opening and death-over delight he is.

His brilliance, paired with Jasprit Bumrah’s run-limiting abilities, came across when he took his run-up as the third bowler to say he is back with a bang. On the very first ball of his first over, he brilliantly seamed into Will Young and got the inside edge, bringing New Zealand to 19-2 in eight overs and showing how the bench had made him fierce and hungry.

This was his third five-wicket haul in ODIs. With the Shami killer on the prowl, India managed to limit New Zealand to 273 when the scoreline looked like it was racing to a 300-plus score. He took two back-to-back, packing off Micthell Santner first and then Matt Henry, the pain giver of the 2019 edition. Both were clean bowled, bringing Mohammed Shami to a four-wicket haul.

Eighty-four per cent good length balls, asphyxiating precision and brilliant execution – that’s the kind of tight discipline that the Indian opening bowlers displayed to navigate the first powerplay and keep the Kiwi batters on a leash. Statistics weighed on the bowlers’ side with the Kiwis managing just five boundaries and Mohammed Siraj giving all the three extras with his energy cells overflowing into much too high bouncers.

Bowling sorted; batting sorted; fielding revving up – India is now off to Lucknow to face the defending champions England and create magic with guile and turn as table-toppers with a 5/5 score.