BODY: Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh): 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 Mitchell Santner first and then Matt Henry, the pain giver of the 2019 edition. Both were clean bowled, bringing Shami to a four-wicket haul.
Finally, he bowled just outside off, luring the centurion Daryl Mitchell to lob the ball for a six, only to get caught by Virat Kohli at wide long-on.
Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, tightened the screws with his signature death over yorkers. He started of the tailspin by sending Mark Chapman into the hands of Virat Kohli after which Shami took over. Within the last four overs, New Zealand lost three wickets and the two bowlers largely limited the chase to 280 when a 300 plus looked imminent.
The skipper, who had many worrying creases on his forehead as the gritty Kiwis rose from 19-2 to a third-wicket partnership of more than 150 runs, picking on star spinner Kuldeep Yadav. But tidying up has become routine for India’s bowling department and Kuldeep Yadav, despite giving away 75 runs in his 10-over spell finally managed to contribute with two wickets, in his eighth and 10th overs.
The bowling campaign was marred by three dropped catches, one surprisingly by Ravindra Jadeja, the second by Kuldeep Yadav himself and the third by Jasprit Bumrah off Mohammed Shami. This contributed to the build-up in a major way as Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell dominated the middle for a long time.
In fact, New Zealand showed what grittiness really means as their two star batters Ravindra and Mitchell showed the doggedness of real warriors to lift their team from a tight corner and build a tenacious partnership of 159 runs in 151 balls, making the Indian bowlers sweat it out after a brilliant performance in the first powerplay.
From 19-2 in eight overs to 167-3 in 33 overs, it was a round squarely won by the Kiwi bat against a tidy but impact-less bowling after Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Siraj saw through the powerplay with a tight cordon and two wickets.
Rachin Ravindra, playing for the first time against his native country, won two referrals, both given out to Mohammed Siraj, to continue his charge till he was finally felled by Mohammed Shami to an easy catch by Shubman Gill at 75 runs in 87 balls with six boundaries and a six.
His partner, Daryl Mitchell, went on to score a well deserved and applaudable 100. He took his time, navigated Jasprit Bumrah, gave surprising respect to Kuldeep Yadav in his third spell and took only singles to climb from 95 to 100 slow and steady.
It was a well-earned century, in 100 balls, decked by seven fours and four sixes. His punching celebration showed how he stayed put in difficult circumstances to not just retrieve his team from the abjectness of opening overs but also recorded his fifth ton in ODIs. It was a run a ball ton which had India staring at a 300 plus total to defend by the 41st over.
Earlier in the day, after skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl, Jasprit Bumrah literally swung into action from his very first over, delivering a maiden with two outswingers and one in, to keep firecracker batter Devon Conway constrained. Mohammed Siraj, from the other end, however, started off with a boundary between backward point and cover with Will Young not losing the opportunity. The next boundary raced through to fine leg on Jasprit Bumrah’s outswinger, again to a late cut by Young, who was facing the pace of Bumrah for the first time, that too in a World Cup.
But it was Mohammed Siraj, who recovered his length and precision to strike first – he got danger man Convey caught in a flash by Shreyas Iyer at forward short leg who turned it into a fielding marvel bringing the Kiwis to 9-1. Jasprit Bumrah kept up the toil from the other end, bowling to Rachin Ravindra who grew up in Bengaluru cheering for India but now is New Zealand’s firepower young gun.
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.
Just then Ravindra Jadeja dropped a catch – off Ravindra’s free-flowing bat – as Shami smarted as this would have been his second. By 11 overs, New Zealand were 40 for 2 as Jadeja gave Siraj a break, his first going for a boundary and four more, bringing some relief to the Kiwi batters.
Kuldeep Yadav was brought into the attack in the 17th over when Ravindra and Mitchell were settling in and New Zealand were 63-2. Kuldeep Yadav gave away six runs in his over, cloaking the fire he has in his belly for wickets, and that included a catch that fell almost into his hands but dropped.
The straight six was just waiting to happen after that. Kuldeep Yadav gave Mitchell the opportunity in his second over, the first for New Zealand. That gave Mitchell the gumption and courage to rush out of his crease and lob Yadav yet again in the biggest of hits thus far, the second six going high and far into the stands at long-on.
With just five bowlers, this was growing into a problem for the skipper who was staring hard down at the most expensive over of the innings, Yadav having been taken to the cleaners for 16 runs. The Kiwis had quietly and doggedly built up a partnership even as Sharma stuck to Yadav after a midfield chat with him. The result? Another straight six this time by an emboldened Mitchell who lofted the ball to bang the roof of the press box in front of him.
The script was changing fast with New Zealand reaching 100 for 2 in 20.5 overs and Rohit Sharma thinking intensely about how to break this flowering twosome. From 19-2 to 100 runs together, Ravindra and Mitchell showed what soaking pressure was all about. The two took their opportunities cautiously and when boundaries were impossible to score, they rotated the strike and kept the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos.
Ravindra reached his 50 in 56 balls with five boundaries and six, his third half ton in ODIs. The Jadeja-Yadav combination gave away 48 runs in seven overs between them, most of them in Yadav’s account. His figures in four overs looked very un-Kuldeep like – 35 runs for no wicket and four sixes! By the 25th over, New Zealand had climbed to a comfortable height at Dharamsala with 117-2.
This necessitated the return of Siraj in place of Yadav in a bid to get some result. A handsome and well-earned 100-run partnership for the 3rd wicket was constructed by the two in 97 balls and 70 minutes with Mitchell and Ravindra being in full flow by rotation.
Mitchell got his 50 in 60 balls with three boundaries and two sixes, his fourth half-century in ODIs came at his own pace in the 27th over and with a safety-first 'mantra'. By now, India were in desperate need of a wicket and continuing with Siraj was the only option for Rohit Sharma, thanks to the absence of Hardik Pandya, keenly being felt at this juncture.
At 141, Ravindra survived yet again, second time on a referral by him. A leg before wicket appeal was given by the umpire but turned down by technology in what was a close decision, much to the displeasure of Mohammed Siraj, yet again.
Kuldeep Yadav was brought back with a lot of courage by Rohit Sharma, and also a lack of option in the absence of the sixth bowler. The sixes were back, straight, high and middle of the bat, perhaps calling for a Bumrah cameo to bring something out of the wicket in India’s favour. New Zealand reached their 200 in 36.1 overs with the Kiwis giving a reputation crisis to Yadav. He finally trapped Kiwi skipper Tom Latham (5) and made him walk despite a referral.
The Kiwis were 200-4 and the spring was back in the trot of Kuldeep Yadav and his teammates. Yadav’s second wicket came in his last over when Glen Phillips was caught by Sharma at 23 on a full and wide delivery, bringing New Zealand to 243-5 in the 45th over. The end of the second power play saw 185 runs being scored with the loss of only two wickets, signalling a change in script to favour the visitors with the Bolts and the Hardys and Santner waiting to launch a scalp game under the lights.
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