Men’s ODI WC: Five Times Indian Players put up Memorable Performances in Wins Over New Zealand

Dharamshala:  Sunday will serve cricket fans a tantalising treat when India and New Zealand, the two unbeaten sides of 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, will clash in the league stage at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday.

When these two teams met in an ODI World Cup last time, it became a riveting semi-final clash going into reserve day at Manchester in 2019. But it ended in a huge heartbreak for India as they lost to New Zealand by 18 runs, despite a valiant fifty from Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni also getting a half-century before he was run out by the barest of margins in what was his last international game.

Overall, India and New Zealand have squared off at ODI World Cups nine times, with the Blackcaps winning five times and the hosts being the winners thrice, with one game ending in a no-result. In the ongoing tournament, New Zealand have been clinical in defeating England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Their batters and bowlers have clicked in unison, thus giving more impetus to their look of being the front-runners to win the title. India, on the other hand, have had great wins over Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The bowling attack has been lethal and batting has yielded huge runs, along with the fielding being electrifying.

Interestingly, India are yet to beat New Zealand in ODI World Cup games since 2003. Now, as the two best teams of the competition gear up for an epic clash, we take a look at the five memorable performances by Indian players when the team emerged victorious over New Zealand in ODI World Cups.

Kapil Dev’s 72 (1987 World Cup)

Being the master that he is, Kapil Dev showed his excellence with the bat in the 1987 ODI World Cup game against New Zealand. Known for his hard-hitting shots, Kapil had the task of rescuing the Indian team, who were in trouble at 170-7. He was not out after scoring 72 runs in 58 balls at Bengaluru, while finding support from Kiran More, who remained unbeaten on 42, as India made 252-7, enough to get a 16-run win.

Sunil Gavaskar’s 103 (1987 World Cup)

In the same tournament, Sunil Gavaskar smashed a striking 103 not out in just 88 balls against New Zealand’s seamlessly marvelous bowlers, also his first ODI century coming at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. His innings was truly impressive against the Blackcaps bowlers and became a reason for loud cheers from the fans witnessing it, as India chased down 222 in 32.1 overs.

Chetan Sharma’s Hat-trick (1987 World Cup)

Before Gavaskar scored his first ODI century to ace the chase, Chetan Sharma hogged all the limelight in the first innings. The right-arm pacer, who also became the chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, took solid hat-trick against New Zealand, by taking out Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Ewen Chatfield to become the first-ever player from India to take a hat-trick in World Cup history.

Zaheer Khan’s 4 wickets (2003 World Cup)

In that match, Zaheer Khan became an epitome of good bowling for the Indian team. He struck early blows by taking out Craig McMillian and Nathan Astle, before coming back to take out Brendon McCullum and Chris Harris in quick succession to leave New Zealand in tatters. He took 4 wickets in 8 overs, giving away 42 runs against New Zealand, as the Blackcaps were bowled out for 146 in 45.1 overs.

Kaif- Dravid’s century-partnership (2003 World Cup)

In the same match as Zaheer Khan but on the batting side, India witnessed Mohammed Kaif and Rahul Dravid stitch a partnership of 100 within 180 balls after the top-order fell cheaply. In that match, Kaif ended up scoring 68 runs off 129 balls, and Dravid ended up scoring 53 runs off 89 balls, as India won by seven wickets, with nearly ten overs to spare.

The India-New Zealand clash of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will be available to watch live and free on mobile only on Disney+ Hotstar.

–IANS