Team India eventually overcame their semifinal curse by defeating New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup knockout game on Wednesday (November 15) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
It followed a streak of semifinal defeats in different events since 2015. They have also reached the ODI World Cup final for the first time in 12 years.
Team India batted first in the match, amassing a massive score of 397-4 in 50 overs. Shreyas Iyer (105) and Virat Kohli (117) both scored century, while Shubman Gill (80), Rohit Sharma (47), and KL Rahul (39) also contributed vital runs.
In response, New Zealand battled hard and remained in the hunt for the most of the game thanks to a magnificent century from Daryl Mitchell (134). Kane Williamson (69) and Mitchell put up 181 runs for the third wicket, putting the hosts under strain.
Mohammed Shami, on the other hand, ended the dangerous stand in the 33rd over by removing Kane Williamson and opening the way for the hosts. He added to New Zealand’s woes with a seven-wicket haul, which enabled Men in Blue win by 70 runs.
Cricket fans on social media praised India and New Zealand’s high-scoring match on Wednesday. They shared their feelings by posting amusing memes. Here’s a list of the finest memes:
Rohit Sharma credits calmness for India’s semi-final victory
Team India captain Rohit Sharma remarked on the semifinal victory at the post-match presentation:
“I’ve played a lot of cricket here. Any score on this ground is chaseable. You cannot relax. Uou got to get the job done as quickly as possible. We knew there’d be pressure and partnerships.
“We just had to stay collected, and that’s what we did. Even though we were a bit sloppy on the field, that can happen. These things are bound to happen, but I’m happy we got the job done in the end.
Rohit Sharma
He continued:
“It was important to stay calm – the crowd went absolutely silent at one stage, but we needed a moment of magic, either a good catch or a good ball. That’s got to do with the form these guys are in – the top 5-6 batters have made it count upon given an opportunity.
Rohit Sharma
On the performance of the batting unit, Rohit Sharma added:
“Very pleased with Iyer. Gill batted brilliantly upfront. Kohli was brilliant as usual, played that landmark innings and got to that landmark. There’s always pressure when you play the game. The semifinal added to it.”
Rohit Sharma
South Africa and Australia face battle in the World Cup’s second semifinal on Thursday (November 16) in Kolkata. The victor of that game will meet India in the summit encounter in Ahmedabad on Sunday.