‌IND vs NZ | Twitter reacts to Rohit and Co. dent gritty Kiwis as India triumph back-to-back ICC events

India captain, Rohit Sharma didn’t mind fielding first after his twelfth consecutive toss loss. But the New Zealand openers Will Young and Rachin Ravindra challenged the decision with robust stokeplay against Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya, forcing the opposition to bring in spin early. By the seventh over, New Zealand reached fifty before Varun Chakaravarthy drew first blood by outwitting Will Young in the eighth over. Following a 69-run powerplay, Kuldeep Yadav removed Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson, laying the foundation for a tight phase with the ball, as the scorecard reflected 101/3 in 20 overs. As the Kiwis failed to fetch boundaries, Ravindra Jadeja trapped Tom Latham plumb in front before an 81-metre six from Glenn Phillips broke the 81 balls boundary drought. A 57-run stand followed before Varun cleaned up Phillips, leading to New Zealand’s 172/5 tally. Having scored just 103 runs in the second powerplay, Michael Bracewell’s fifty which included some lusty blows in the last ten overs, steered the Kiwis to 251/7 in 50 overs.

Similar to their counterparts, India got off to a formidable start, courtesy of Rohit Sharma’s sensible knock on the eve of the grand finale. He was watchful against luring deliveries but ensured to bash the looseners out of the park. With Shubman Gill playing second fiddle to his captain’s brilliant 41-ball 50, India marched to the century mark in the seventeenth over, having already piled up 64 inside the powerplay. Right after the drinks break, a stupendous Glenn Phillips catch at short extra cover drew the first blood, making way for a couple of big wickets in Virat Kohli and Rohit (76). Subsequently, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer’s 61 runs stand eased the stage for the Men in Blue, with the former playing second fiddle to the Mumbaikar’s 48. By the 40th over, the Asian side needed 61 off the last ten overs with half-a-dozen wickets left. With Axar throwing away his wicket, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul played spinners with caution as the equation flickered around the run-a-ball mark until the 46th over with the score reading 231/5. India required 21 off the last four overs when an authoritative four against O’Rourke set up the chase irrespective of Hardik’s dismissal. With seven required off the last two overs, Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja eased the chase with the winning runs coming off the latter’s willow.

#INDvsNZ
Hardik pandya you can do it 👍
Lehra do 🇮🇳

— its queen❤️ (@itsqueenindia) March 9, 2025