New Zealand had already secured a spot in the Champions Trophy semifinals by defeating Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, they aimed to finish as group champions by beating India. Their efforts fell short as India claimed a 44-run victory, securing the top spot in the group and setting up a semifinal clash against Australia.
On Sunday (March 2), India batted first and set a target of 250 runs. In response, New Zealand was bowled out for 205 in 43.3 overs, falling short by 44 runs.
New Zealand’s Struggle in the Chase
New Zealand had a poor start while chasing the target. Rachin Ravindra was dismissed for 6 off 12 balls, followed by opener Will Young, who managed 22 off 35 balls. Daryl Mitchell also failed to make an impact, scoring 17 off 35 balls.
However, captain Kane Williamson tried to anchor the innings, scoring a steady 50 off 77 balls. But wickets kept tumbling at the other end, with Tom Latham (14), Glenn Phillips (12), and Mitchell Bracewell (2) failing to contribute significantly. Eventually, Williamson himself fell after scoring 81 off 120 balls.
Mitchell Santner played a fighting knock of 28 off 31 balls, but New Zealand’s innings collapsed quickly. Matt Henry (2) and Will O’Rourke (1) were dismissed towards the end, and the team was bowled out for 205 with 27 balls remaining.
For India, Varun Chakravarthy starred with the ball, claiming five wickets. Kuldeep Yadav took two, while Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja picked up one each.
India’s Batting Performance
Earlier, after losing the toss, India had a shaky start. Shubman Gill was dismissed for just 2 runs off 7 balls, while Rohit Sharma followed with 15 off 17 balls. Virat Kohli also failed to make an impact, scoring 11 off 14 balls.
Shreyas Iyer then stabilized the innings, building a crucial partnership with Axar Patel. However, Axar fell short of his half-century, scoring 42 off 61 balls. Iyer reached his fifty in 75 balls and was later supported by KL Rahul.
Iyer missed out on a century, getting caught out for 79 off 98 balls. Rahul also failed to convert his start, departing for 23 off 29 balls. Hardik Pandya then played an aggressive knock, scoring 45 off 45 balls, while Jadeja added 16 runs.
India eventually finished their innings at 249/9 in the allotted 50 overs, which proved enough to secure the victory and a place in the semifinals against Australia.
