Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
CWC 2019 Semi Final 1 talking points: India v New Zealand. IND vs NZ: 5 key talking points from the first 2019 World Cup Semi Final
The beauty of cricket in two days. India were hot favourites for this game having finished top of the league stage. One of the favourites to the lift the trophy from the beginning. Surely, they would get through the Semi Final against a side struggling recently, and against whom they won 4-1 in their own backyard earlier in the year?
New Zealand weren’t given much of a chance in this match. They looked the more favourable opponent after crawling into the Semi Finals. Perhaps even fortunately. Their batting reflected the struggle that has been associated with their campaign. Martin Guptill looked like he could knock out anyone who would come within five yards of him after being dismissed early again.
In the end, he was the man who delivered the final clutch moment. New Zealand were jubilant, even though Kane Williamson dared not to show it, knowing the job is just half done. Despite a number of contrasts, he has matched Brendon McCullum’s feat in getting New Zealand to a World Cup Final. Like the Semi Final of the 2015 edition, it was one to remember.
Indeed, this match had it all. What a ride it was. Here are five talking points from a classic ODI match.
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
1. New Zealand’s batting approach justified
It takes a lot of guts to make the call that the pitch – which looked good to the eye – will be as challenging for the opposition as it is for you. New Zealand were crawling in the first half of their innings, reminiscent of their crawl to the Semi Finals. Martin Guptill was out cheaply, Ross Taylor couldn’t get going early and Kane Williamson hit out trying to up the ante.
Even the score predictor believed New Zealand should and would up the ante. 288 was still considered possible at the halfway mark with New Zealand still 17 away from 100. However, they never panicked. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor played crucial knocks, knowing they could back their bowlers with a score in the region of 240, especially if they make India live out their worst nightmares. They did.
2. India’s worst nightmares come the fore
India were one of the favourites for the World Cup. They were even the team to beat with the form of their top three and England’s mid-tournament slump. However, at the back of everyone’s mind was the 2017 Champions Trophy Final: what happens if their top three is dismissed cheaply in a big game? Will their unfinished search for the right combinations come back to haunt them?
Rohit Sharma had a fantastic campaign. He will be opener in the team of the tournament. However, he offered chances – five to be exact – over the course of the campaign. He had to be chance-less in such a big game as luck is always bound to run out. It wasn’t the case. With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul then following within the first five overs, India’s Achilles heel was reality in a chase in a knockout match. All you had to do was check Twitter to capture the mood.
Surely, going forward, India need to look at ways to ensure that there isn’t too much reliance on their top three. MS Dhoni tried his best, but the lack of strike rotation from India’s middle order in this tournament was something they didn’t want to encounter in the knockouts. Is Kohli the answer to their longstanding number four problem? Will they give the likes of Rishabh Pant longer rope in the coming years? Can they stick to combinations? We shall see.
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
3. Bits and pieces cricketer?
Sanjay Manjrekar is the subject of much criticism. After his comments regarding Ravindra Jadeja, it is easy to see why. Michael Vaughan joined the millions shocked at the statement, so much so that it got him blocked on Twitter.
Manjrekar was so wrong about calling Jadeja a “bits and pieces” cricketer that New Zealand were left to deal with a five-star Jadeja. The comments actually helped take India so close, spurring Jadeja on beyond the world of social media, delivering an incredible all-round performance to nearly get India home. 2/34, a bullet run out to dismiss Taylor, a great catch next ball to save even more runs and then one of the all-time World Cup knockout epics showed Jadeja’s value as a cricketer. His gesture to the commentary box after reaching 50 said it all. It is time for India to play him more often in ODIs.
4. Kane Williamson’s captaincy + New Zealand’s bowling and fielding magnificent
‘Swing’ was the key word on everyone’s lips. The first few overs would dictate the run chase. New Zealand had to strike multiple times early. It certainly turned out to be the case with India suffering that nightmare start.
Matt Henry showed why he has been preferred ahead of Tim Southee – the early wicket of Rohit Sharma rocked India to its core. Trent Boult, who had a slowish start to the campaign, has delivered when his side has needed him to – the wicket of Virat Kohli was like an earthquake in the hearts of India fans. Then, enter Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner, and New Zealand were in prime position to build further pressure. The captaincy of Kane Williamson elicited calm and composure right till the end. He really is a gem.
This is before mentioning New Zealand’s incredible fielding. Tom Latham was a rock behind the stumps. Jimmy Neesham’s catch to dismiss Dinesh Karthik was so good that even straight men fell more in love with ‘Neesh’.
Then came the main course.
Martin Guptill has had a poor tournament. His face in the changing room after getting dismissed cheaply again told the story. However, he delivered such a big clutch moment that broke the hearts of hundreds of millions, running out India’s last hope with an unbelievable pick up and throw in the penultimate over to all-but-seal victory. Ian Smith’s amazing commentary just added to the spectacle. Could this be the moment that spurs Guptill on to go big in the Final? New Zealand would hope so.
5. Virat Kohli’s terrible record in World Cup knockouts
Virat Kohli is one of the all-time greats in ODI Cricket. His name has to be mentioned when discussing the best ODI batsmen of all time, given how prolific he has been for a number of years.
However, his record in World Cup knockouts can work against him. The marginal LBW call against him was another low score in such games for Kohli. It was a fatal mistake, with his front foot well outside the line of off-stump against an in-swinging delivery.
In six innings, he has scored just 73 runs at 12.1. His important 35 against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup Final makes up nearly half his runs in WC knockouts, which is not the kind of return expected of such a player.
All things being equal, he will have at least one more World Cup to get it right. That too at home. For now, though, it is a matter of what could have been.
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
Thanks for reading!
