India 397/4 in 50 ov (Kohli 117(113), Iyer 105(70); Southee 3/100) beat New Zealand 327/10 in 48.5 Ov (Mitchell 134(119), Williamson 69(73); Shami 7/57) by 70 runs.
After a roller coaster of the league stages, it was time for the big stage as India & New Zealand tussled in the first Semi-Final at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Both have been tough challengers at the knockout stages and both of them were looking to stamp their authority and qualify for the finale.
Indian openers started off to a fiery start after winning the toss and put pressure on the Kiwi bowlers right from the outset. Skipper Rohit went all guns blazing at the top to set the tone of the innings. Soon after his dismissal, Kohli & Gill established a strong partnership. Virat scripted history by reaching his 50th ODI century in front of his hero , the Icon Sachin Tendulkar. He was joined by Shreyas Iyer who took the attack to the opposition bowlers as soon as he came in. Centuries from Kohli, Iyer and a strong finish by KL Rahul steered India towards a massive score of 397. All the batters played their role to perfection to take India towards this huge total.
While chasing a massive target, the NZ openers started well. They put the pressure on the Indian bowlers, however it was Shami who proved to be the man for the breakthroughs for India. He dismissed both the openers & brought India back into the game. But the Kiwis weren’t ready to give up yet, as skipper Williamson & Daryl Mitchell put on a brilliant partnership. At one point the game looked as if it was slipping away from the Indians, as Mitchell went on to get an epic hundred. However, it was the man with the golden arm - Mohammed Shami who brought India back into the game yet again. He dismissed Williamson & Latham in one over and then after a few overs came back to take the crucial wicket of Mitchell as well, which proved to be the killer blow. Shami finished with a record 7 wickets, as India went on to win the game by 70 runs. The Kiwis made it extremely tough for the Indians but they overcame the pressure to script an excellent win. With this win, Team India qualified into their 4th World Cup final and now are one step away from achieving the ultimate glory.
