India defeats New Zealand by 44 runs to set up a semifinal rematch of the Cricket World Cup final against Australia.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy delivered an impressive performance with figures of 5-42 as India secured a 44-run victory over New Zealand, setting up a semifinal clash with Australia in cricket’s Champions Trophy.
India won all three of their group matches to top Group A and will face Australia in the first semifinal of the 50-over tournament in Dubai on Tuesday. The match is a repeat of the 2023 Cricket World Cup final, which Australia won in Ahmedabad.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will take on Group B winners South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.
India is playing all its matches at the Dubai International Stadium after opting not to tour host nation Pakistan due to security concerns.
Australia and South Africa had to travel to Dubai from Pakistan without knowing if they would play there, as India was informed before the tournament that they would play the first semifinal in Dubai regardless of their group stage finish.
South Africa will now return to Pakistan for their match against New Zealand.
Shreyas Iyer’s 79 and a late 45 by Hardik Pandya helped India reach 249-9 after being asked to bat first on Sunday.
New Zealand pacer Matt Henry shone with figures of 5-42 from his eight overs.
Chakravarthy claimed his first ODI five-wicket haul in just his second match as India bowled out New Zealand for 205 in 45.3 overs, despite a resilient 81 by Kane Williamson.
Williamson survived two dropped catches on 17 and 68 during his 120-ball innings before finally being stumped off Axar Patel.
New Zealand lost Rachin Ravindra early as Patel took a spectacular catch to dismiss the opener for six.
Chakravarthy ended Will Young’s innings on 22 when he bowled him with a googly.
Williamson held firm but struggled to find a lasting partner as Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham were dismissed for 17 and 14, respectively.
India’s spinners dominated in favorable conditions, with Kuldeep Yadav dismissing Mitchell and Ravindra Jadeja trapping Latham lbw.
Between those wickets, Williamson hit Jadeja for a boundary to bring up his 47th ODI half-century, but India continued to take wickets.
Earlier, India found themselves in trouble at 30-3 when Virat Kohli, playing his 300th one-day international, fell victim to a stunning one-handed catch by Glenn Phillips.
An airborne Phillips took a fast-travelling ball at backward point to dismiss Kohli for 11 off Henry’s bowling.
Kohli stood in disbelief before walking off the field to stunned silence.
Iyer and Patel, who scored 42, added 98 runs for the fourth wicket to rebuild India’s innings against a disciplined New Zealand attack.
Another spectacular catch, this time by Williamson, who made a one-handed grab at backward point, dismissed Jadeja for 16 off Henry.
Pandya struck four fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball innings to help India post a total that ultimately proved sufficient.
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