Virat Kohli scored 95 against New Zealand© Twitter
The Cricket World Cup 2023 showdown between India and New Zealand produced a fine contest between the top two sides of the campaign. Virat Kohli’s 95 powered the Indian team to its 5th successive victory of the World Cup while New Zeland suffered their first defeat of the campaign. Virat unleashed some brilliant strokes during his stay on the 22-yard strip. One that got even the commentator Sunil Gavaskar off his seat was a pull shot off the front foot, something that Kohli’s teammate Rohit Sharma is used to playing.
“What a shot. What a shot. We have seen Rohit Sharma play pull off the front foot, and now Kohli is showing that he can do that as well. This shot went like a rocket, that is massive,” Gavaskar said on air after seeing Kohli’s outrageous hit.
After the match, India skipper Rohit couldn’t stop hailing Kohli’s effort at the iconic HPCA stadium in Dharamsala.
“I am enjoying my batting. Both are different personalities but we (Him and Gill) complement each other. Happy that we won. There’s not much to say. He (Kohli) has done this for us so many years. He backed himself to do the job. Kohli and Jadeja pulled us back when we lost a few wickets in the middle.
“The fielding is something we pride ourselves on. Today the fielding wasn’t clinical. Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best fielders in the world. These things happen. We know that fielding is something that will decide a lot of things going forward. We love travelling and playing in different parts of the game,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
With the win, India climbed to the top of the points table. Unbeaten in the tournament so far, India next face defending champions England on Sunday.
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