World Cup (cricket): 2023
The results of all the matches
Match 1, October 05, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
ENGLAND
282/9 (50.0)
VS
NEW ZEALAND
283/1 (36.2)
New Zealand beat England by 9 wickets
Match 2, October 06, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
PAKISTAN
286/10 (49.0)
VS
NETHERLANDS
205/10 (41.0)
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 81 runs
Match 3, October 07, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
BANGLADESH
158/4 (34.4)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
156/10 (37.2)
Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets
Match 4, October 07, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
SOUTH AFRICA
428/5 (50.0)
VS
SRI LANKA
326/10 (44.5)
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 102 runs
Match 5, October 08, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
INDIA
201/4 (41.2)
VS
AUSTRALIA
199/10 (49.3)
India beat Australia by 6 wickets
Match 6, October 09, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
NEW ZEALAND
322/7 (50.0)
VS
NETHERLANDS
223/10 (46.3)
New Zealand beat Netherlands by 99 runs
Match 7, October 10, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
ENGLAND
364/9 (50.0)
VS
BANGLADESH
227/10 (48.2)
England beat Bangladesh by 137 runs
Match 8, October 10, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
PAKISTAN
345/4 (48.2)
VS
SRI LANKA
344/9 (50.0)
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets
Match 9, October 11, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
INDIA
273/2 (35.0)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
272/8 (50.0)
India beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets
Match 10, October 12, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
AUSTRALIA
177/10 (40.5)
VS
SOUTH AFRICA
311/7 (50.0)
South Africa beat Australia by 134 runs
Match 11, October 13, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
NEW ZEALAND
248/2 (42.5)
VS
BANGLADESH
245/9 (50.0)
New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets
Match 12, October 14, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
INDIA
192/3 (30.3)
VS
PAKISTAN
191/10 (42.5)
India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets
Match 13, October 15, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
ENGLAND
215/10 (40.3)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
284/10 (49.5)
Afghanistan beat England by 69 runs
Match 14, October 16, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
AUSTRALIA
215/5 (35.2)
VS
SRI LANKA
209/10 (43.3)
Australia beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets
Match 15, October 17, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
SOUTH AFRICA
207/10 (42.5)
VS
NETHERLANDS
245/8 (43.0)
Netherlands beat South Africa by 38 runs
Match 16, October 18, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
NEW ZEALAND
288/6 (50.0)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
139/10 (34.4)
New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 149 runs
Match 17, October 19, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
INDIA
261/3 (41.3)
VS
BANGLADESH
256/8 (50.0)
India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
Match 18, October 20, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
AUSTRALIA
367/9 (50.0)
VS
PAKISTAN
305/10 (45.3)
Australia beat Pakistan by 62 runs
Match 19, October 21, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
NETHERLANDS
262/10 (49.4)
VS
SRI LANKA
263/5 (48.2)
Sri Lanka beat Netherlands by 5 wickets
Match 20, October 21, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
ENGLAND
170/10 (22.0)
VS
SOUTH AFRICA
399/7 (50.0)
South Africa beat England by 229 runs
Match 21, October 22, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
INDIA
274/6 (48.0)
VS
NEW ZEALAND
273/10 (50.0)
India beat New Zealand by 4 wickets
Match 22, October 23, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
PAKISTAN
282/7 (50.0)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
286/2 (49.0)
Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 8 wickets
Match 23, October 24, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
SOUTH AFRICA
382/5 (50.0)
VS
BANGLADESH
233/10 (46.4)
South Africa beat Bangladesh by 149 runs
Match 24, October 25, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
AUSTRALIA
399/8 (50.0)
VS
NETHERLANDS
90/10 (21.0)
Australia beat Netherlands by 309 runs
Match 25, October 26, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
ENGLAND
156/10 (33.2)
VS
SRI LANKA
160/2 (25.4)
Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets
Match 26, October 27, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
PAKISTAN
270/10 (46.4)
VS
SOUTH AFRICA
271/9 (47.2)
South Africa beat Pakistan by 1 wicket
Match 27, October 28, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
AUSTRALIA
388/10 (49.2)
VS
NEW ZEALAND
383/9 (50.0)
Australia beat New Zealand by 5 runs
Match 28, October 28, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
NETHERLANDS
229/10 (50.0)
VS
BANGLADESH
142/10 (42.2)
Netherlands beat Bangladesh by 87 runs
Match 29, October 29, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
INDIA
229/9 (50.0)
VS
ENGLAND
129/10 (34.5)
India beat England by 100 runs
Match 30, October 30, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
AFGHANISTAN
242/3 (45.2)
VS
SRI LANKA
241/10 (49.3)
Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets
Match 31, October 31, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
PAKISTAN
205/3 (32.3)
VS
BANGLADESH
204/10 (45.1)
Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
Match 32, November 01, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
NEW ZEALAND
167/10 (35.3)
VS
SOUTH AFRICA
357/4 (50.0)
South Africa beat New Zealand by 190 runs
Match 33, November 02, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
INDIA
357/8 (50.0)
VS
SRI LANKA
55/10 (19.4)
India beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs
Match 34, November 03, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
NETHERLANDS
179/10 (46.3)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
181/3 (31.3)
Afghanistan beat Netherlands by 7 wickets
Match 35, November 04, 2023 at 10:30 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
NEW ZEALAND
401/6 (50.0)
VS
PAKISTAN
200/1 (25.3)
Pakistan beat New Zealand by 21 runs (D/L method)
Match 36, November 04, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
ENGLAND
253/10 (48.1)
VS
AUSTRALIA
286/10 (49.3)
Australia beat England by 33 runs
Match 37, November 05, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
INDIA
326/5 (50.0)
VS
SOUTH AFRICA
83/10 (27.1)
India beat South Africa by 243 runs
Match 38, November 06, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
BANGLADESH
282/7 (41.1)
VS
SRI LANKA
279/10 (49.3)
Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets
Match 39, November 07, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
AUSTRALIA
293/7 (46.5)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
291/5 (50.0)
Australia beat Afghanistan by 3 wickets
Match 40, November 08, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
ENGLAND
339/9 (50.0)
VS
NETHERLANDS
179/10 (37.2)
England beat Netherlands by 160 runs
Match 41, November 09, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
NEW ZEALAND
172/5 (23.2)
VS
SRI LANKA
171/10 (46.4)
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets
Match 42, November 10, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
SOUTH AFRICA
247/5 (47.3)
VS
AFGHANISTAN
244/10 (50.0)
South Africa beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets
Match 43, November 11, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
AUSTRALIA
307/2 (44.4)
VS
BANGLADESH
306/8 (50.0)
Australia beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets
Match 44, November 11, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
ENGLAND
337/9 (50.0)
VS
PAKISTAN
244/10 (43.3)
England beat Pakistan by 93 runs
Match 45, November 12, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
INDIA
410/4 (50.0)
VS
NETHERLANDS
250/10 (47.5)
India beat Netherlands by 160 runs
1st Semi-Final, November 15, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
INDIA
397/4 (50.0)
VS
NEW ZEALAND
327/10 (48.5)
India beat New Zealand by 70 runs
2nd Semi-Final, November 16, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata
SOUTH AFRICA
212/10 (49.4)
VS
AUSTRALIA
215/7 (47.2)
Australia beat South Africa by 3 wickets
Final, November 19, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
INDIA
240/10 (50.0)
VS
AUSTRALIA
241/4 (43.0)
Australia beat India by 6 wickets
The 12 best players
Nov 21, 2023: The Times of India
TOI’S TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
These Players Owned The World Cup Stage. Our Pick of The Best XI From The Mega Event...
ROHIT SHARMA ©
The Indian captain set the tone from the start for his team that allowed other batters to play their individual game. His aggression put the bowlers off their line and length. Rohit’s unselfish attitude also rubbed off on his teammates, who played with the larger goal in mind. Besides the league stage, he gave rousing starts in the semifinal as well as final, but couldn’t end with the winner’s trophy. Our pick as leader of this team.
Inns: 11, Runs: 597, Highest: 131, Ave: 54.27, Strike-rate: 125.94, 100s/50s: 1/3
TRAVIS HEAD
Gets the nod as opener ahead of Quinton de Kock and Rachin Ravindra for his sheer impact in the knockouts. The Aussie opener missed the first five games with a fractured hand but the team management stuck with him. He played six matches and got three Man of the Match awards. In the semifinal against South Africa, he scored 62 off 48 balls and in the final hit a breathtaking 137 off 120 deliveries.
Inns: 6, Runs: 329, Highest: 137, Ave: 54.83, Strike-rate: 127.51, 100s/50s: 2/1
VIRAT KOHLI
Added to his legendary status, emerging as the highest run-getter. Played the perfect foil to Rohit, steadying the ship with his sheer consistency. Scored three centuries and six fifties in 11 innings.
Inns: 11, Runs: 765, Highest: 117, Ave: 95.62, Strike-rate: 90.31, 100s/50s: 3/6
MITCHELL STARC
The tall Aussie edges out worthy contenders like Dilshan Madushanka, Gerald Coetzee and Pat Cummins. His inclusion lengthens the batting lineup, which would otherwise finish at No. 7 like India’s! Starc turned up the heat when it mattered the most, especially during the semifinal and the final. In the semis against South Africa, he picked up wickets with the new ball and ended with figures of 3/34. And in the final, he picked wickets with reverse swing towards the end of India’s innings, returning with 3/55.
Inns: 10, Wickets: 16, Best: 3/34, Ave: 33.00, Econ: 6.06, Strike-rate: 32.62
MOHAMMED SHAMI
Man on a mission. Bowled with fire, accuracy and extreme skill. His upright seam position was the talk of the tournament. Single-handedly won India the semifinal against New Zealand, and returned with three five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul in seven matches. It was a blessing in disguise for India when Hardik Pandya got injured in the game against Bangladesh, and Shami replaced him in the playing XI in the next match versus New Zealand. He started his World Cup campaign with a five-wicket haul and there was no looking back thereafter.
Inns: 7, Wickets: 24, Best: 7/57, Ave: 10.70, Econ: 5.26, Strike-rate: 12.20
DARYL MITCHELL Nearly won New Zealand the semifinal against India. Scored two centuries during the tournament, both against India. He showed remarkable ability to remain unfazed under pressure, and was aggressive against the best of bowlers. Played both fast bowlers and spinners with great efficiency.
Inns: 9, Runs: 552, Highest: 134, Ave: 69.00, Strike-rate: 111.06, 100s/50s: 2/2
HEINRICH KLAASEN (WK)
The South African, who was on nitro boost, edges out KL Rahul and Mohammad Rizwan due to his superior strike-rate of 133.21. Though de Kock kept wickets for South Africa, Head’s inclusion as opener meant the team was looking for a wicketkeeper who could also turbo charge the middleovers. Enter Klaasen! He lit up the tournament with his astounding strokeplay. He could’ve won the Proteas the semifinal against Australia, but fell after scoring 47 off 48 balls. His swashbuckling century at the Wankhede Stadium against England in stifling hot and humid conditions—that too while he was cramping badly—was one of the highlights of the tournament.
Inns: 10, Runs: 373, Highest: 109, Ave: 41.44, Strike-rate: 133.21, 100s/50s: 1/1
GLENN MAXWELL
Maxwell fundamentally played two innings during the World Cup. One resulted in the fastest century scored in the history of the tournament—a 40-ball rampage against the hapless Netherlands in Delhi, and the other an unbeaten 201 versus Afghanistan. The knock against Afghanistan came when Australia were down in the dumps at 91/7 at the Wankhede Stadium and the win prediction for the Aussies was just five percent. Maxwell played what many call the “best-ever” ODI innings.
Inns: 9, Runs: 400, Highest: 201 not out, Ave: 66.66, Strike-rate: 150.37, 100s/50s: 2/0
RAVINDRA JADEJA
He had an under-par performance in the final, but was in stellar form in the matches before. Spun a web on the opposition batters in helpful conditions. At the Eden Gardens against South Africa, he had figures of 5/33. The Proteas batters had no clue which ball was turning and which one was going straight. But the ball of the tournament for him was the one to Steve Smith in Chennai, when he spun the ball past Smith’s bat from the leg stump to hit the top of off.
Inns: 11, Wickets: 16, Best: 5/33, Ave: 24.87, Econ: 4.25, Strike-rate: 35.06
ADAM ZAMPA
The Australian leg-spinner started the tournament slowly and hardly had any impact. But after the first couple of matches, he came into his own and picked wickets in the middleovers regularly. He finished behind Mohammed Shami in the highest wicket-takers list with 23 wickets. Zampa was intelligent with his variations, lines and trajectory as the batters found it difficult to get him off the square.
Inns: 11, Wickets: 23, Best: 4/8, Ave: 22.39, Econ: 5.36, Strike-rate: 25.04
JASPRIT BUMRAH
With the new ball, Bumrah bowled spells that would leave you in awe. Swung the ball so much that batters missed deliveries by several inches. He particularly gave the left-handers a tough time—coming round the wicket, angling in the ball, and then a flawless seam position taking the ball away from the bat that followed the ball like a magnet. Bumrah’s two wickets in the final made everyone fleetingly believe in an India win, but Travis Head had different ideas.
Inns: 11, Wickets: 20, Best: 4/39, Ave: 18.65, Econ: 4.06, Strike-rate: 27.55
12TH MAN: RACHIN RAVINDRA
The best-ever maiden World Cup for any player by a margin. Ravindra set the ball rolling with a match-winning unbeaten 123 against England in the opening match of the tournament. He scored two more centuries against Australia and Pakistan, and was instrumental in New Zealand’s progress to the semifinals.
Inns: 10, Runs: 578, Highest: 123 not out, Ave: 64.22, Strike-rate: 106.44, 100s/50s: 3/2
TEXT: HINDOL BASU
League matches
Mumbai: India beats Sri Lanka, sets records
Nitin Naik ,Nov 3, 2023: The Times of India
From: Nitin Naik ,Nov 3, 2023: The Times of India
Mumbai : If anyone still wanted reasons as to why India are the team to beat in this World Cup, Rohit Sharma’s side laid them down at an electric Wankhede Stadium against Sri Lanka.
The hosts piled up 357 for 8, thanks to polished knocks from Shubman Gill 92 (92b, 11x4, 2x6) and Virat Kohli 88 (94b, 11x4) (both were dropped on 8 and 10 respectively), and a hurricane 82 (56b, 3x4, 5x6) by Shreyas Iyer, after being put into bat by Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis. Then, Manof-the-Match Mohammed Shami (5-1-18-5) and Mohammed Siraj (7-2-16-3), in a seambowling clinic, blew Sri Lanka away to dismiss them for 55 in 19.4 overs. India ran up victors by 302 runs to post their seventh win on the trot. With 14 points, they are now the first team in the semis.
Getting generous amount of seam on a beautiful cricket wicket that had carry and getting movement in the humid evening air, Siraj trapped Dimuth Karunaratne lbw first ball as the left-hander fell over. He then got Sadeera Samarawickrama to feel at an away-going delivery and Iyer at third slip pouched the offering.
His next wicket, that off Mendis, was dreamy stuff. Getting the ball to angle in from over the wicket, Siraj pitched it on middle, on a length, and got it to straighten. Mendis prodded and missed, and the ball hit the off pole.
Jasprit Bumrah had started the Lankan slide by dismissing Sri Lanka’s man in form Pathhum Nissanka lbw through an umpire’s call off the first ball of the innings.
Sri Lanka’s innings, that was tottering at 3 for 4, slipped into further chaos when Mohammed Shami got two wickets in two balls — putting Asalanka out of his misery by getting him caught by Ravindra Jadeja at point and getting Dushan Hemantha caught behind first ball.
After the end of 10 overs, Sri Lanka were 14 for 6, the lowest powerplay score in World Cup history. Had this been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped the contest.
Shami though was hungry to throw in more punches. He got one to lift that Dushmantha Chameera gloved and KL Rahul convinced the captain and bowler to go for the referral after the umpire had ruled it as a wide. He then produced a perfect full inswinger that tempted Angelo Mathews to go for the drive and hit the stumps. Sri Lanka were 29 for 8. Only some late order hitting by Maheesh Theekshana and Kasun Rajitha ensured Sri Lanka got past the 50 mark.
Sri Lanka’s struggles with the bat though should not mislead us into believing that the Wankhede pitch was a minefield. Though Rohit must have felt it was one when an off-cutter from left-arm-seamer Dilshan Madhushanka, gripped the surface after pitching on middle-stump and uprooted the off-pole. Kohli and Gill attacked Theekshana, cutting him through point to get India moving. They also milked the leg-spinner Hemantha, who replaced the struggling Dhananjay De Silva, as they competed to get to 50 first.
As India got into a safe zone, Gill started chancing his arm and hit Chameera and Hemantha for sixes to close in on triple figures. Madhushanka, the top-wickettaker in the tournament, used the slower one well to dismiss both Gill and Kohli within three runs.
Iyer then went into turbo mode, hitting sixes at will and adding useful runs with KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja to ensure that India got a big score, despite a Madhushanka five-for.
The way Siraj and Shami bowled, it proved to be more than enough.
Chennai: India beats Australia
India vs Australia, Cricket World Cup 2023 Highlights: India has won its opening encounter of this world cup against arch rival Australia. The victory came in the 42nd over, as it chased down a total of 200 runs with six wickets in hands. KL Rahul, unbeaten at 97, and Virat Kohli who scored 85, were the architechts of th run-chase. They stitched a partnership of 165 runs. The team had begun the run chase on a shaky ground, with Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer getting out at zero.
Earlier, Australia had won the toss and decided to bat first in hot and humid conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai. Ishan Kishan replaced illnesses-ridden Shubman Gill in Indian playing XI while Ravichandran Ashwin also finds a place at his home ground.
Despite losing the toss, India bowlers didn't disappoint and gave a very tough time to the Australian batters, who could be seen struggling from the very beginning.
Apart from David Warner (41) and Steve Smith (46), not other batter could stand on the Chepauk pitch for long, all thanks to the Indian bowling attack. By 49.3 overs, Australian batters could score only 199 runs and were all out. India now need only 200 runs at 4 rpo.
For India, each bowler showcased their magic. Ravinddra Jadeja was the most successful bowlers, who picked 3 wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav picked 2 wickets each. Also, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Siraj all clinched one wicket each too.
Prior to the match, Men in Blue skipper Rohit Sharma has already said that the Indian squad is ready to face any challenge, citing highly motivated players and the recent Asia Cup 2023 tournament win. India had also convincingly defeated the Kangaroos 2-1 during a recent home series.
India, the current world number 1 ranked ODI side, look a complete side at the moment despite their two World Cup warm-up matches being washed out. The Indian side boasts arguable two of the best ODI batters at the top in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, given the spin-friendly conditions expected in Chepauk, India also has a plethora of quality spin options in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia, on the other hand, will look to continue their dominance in the ODI World Cup under captain Pat Cummins. While the first warm-up game for Kangaroos was washed out due to rain, they had closely defeated Pakistan in a high-scoring affair at Hyderabad.
In the clash against India, Aussies will depend heavily on the leg-spin of Adam Zampa with assistance from Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. In terms of pace bowling, it will be interesting to see if Australia can afford to have the trinity of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in their playing XI at Chepauk.
Here are the highlights:
Pat Cummins won the toss for Australia and elected to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 2. India go with a three-pronged spin attack at Chepauk with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Ashwin is playing at his home ground for the first time in a world cup match.
3. Shubman Gill, who is suffering from dengue fever, has been replaced by Ishan Kishan, who will open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma.
4. Bumrah dismissed Mitchell Marsh at golden duck in the third over, as the Australian batter failed to open his account. Australia was 5/1 at that time.
5. With his classic wristspinner, Kuldeep Yadav sent set batter David Warner (41) to pavilion in the 17th over. At that time, Australia had scored 74 runs.
6. After Bumrah and Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja sent set batter Steve Smith (46) with his length ball in the 28th over.
7. Just after Steven Smith, Jadeja in the next over dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey, in the second and the fourth ball. With this, he has taken 3 wickets for India.
8. After Jadeja's spell, Kuldeep just dismissed Glenn Maxwell (15), who lost his leg stump in the 35.5 over.
9. When everyone is taking wickets, how can Ashwin leave behind. He departed Cameron Green in the 37th over as he was caught by Hardik Pandya.
10. After the spinner did their work, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was brought into attack and departed Pat Cummins in the 43rd over.
11. Hardik Pandya departed Adam Zampa in the 49th over, while Mohammed Siraj finished Australian innings by picking up his first 2023 World Cup wicket of Mitchell Starc.
12. The entire Australian innings was over at 199 and now India will have to chase 200-runs target with a run rate of 4 per over.
13. India were off to a tense start, losing the top three batters – Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for a duck. They were 18/3 in 6 overs, with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in the middle.
14. India is at 27/3 at the end of 10 overs. The first powerplay was totally dominated by Australia, which sent back the top three Indian batters cheaply, and succeeded in maintaining the pressure.
15. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul tilted the game's balance in India's favour with their vital partnership. At the end of 20 overs, India was 80/3.
16. Kohli and Rahul, with their 100-plus runs partnership, have consolidated India's position in the match. The team scored 120/3 at the end of 30 overs. Both the batters scored half centuries by this stage.
17. Kohli was finally dismissed after he scored a game-changing knock of 85 runs. It was Josh Hazlewood who picked up his wicket. Notably, Kohli's catch was dropped when he was at the score of 12, off Hazlewood's ball, by Mitchell Marsh.
18. Hardik Pandya, at number 6, came out with the intent to finish off the game quickly. Having spent only a few minutes on the crease, he began swinging his bat. He struck a six, the first for this Indian innings, against a quicker one bowled by Josh Hazlewood at the off stump. India reached 182/4 in 40 overs. Only 18 runs were needed to win as the final powerplay began.
19. India completed the run-chase in the 42nd over, with six wickets in hand. Rahul finished off in style by smashing a six to draw curtains over the match. He remained unbeaten at 97 off 115 balls.
20. With this win, India is at the 5th spot in the points table. The team shares 2 points each with New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but is placed behind them due to the comparatively lower run rate.
Delhi: India beats Afghanistan
Oct 11, 2023: The Times of India
India vs Afghanistan Highlights, World Cup 2023: Rohit slams record World Cup ton as India crush Afghanistan by 8 wickets
Rohit Sharma oozed class and elegance en route to a recording-breaking hundred, leading India to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup in Delhi on Wednesday.
Hasmatullah Shahidi's dogged 80 and the young Azmatullah Omarazai's gutsy 62 took Afghanistan to 272 for eight after opting to bat.
On a batting beauty, India skipper Rohit (131 off 84) was unstoppable and flaunted his envious range of strokes.
His record seventh World Cup hundred off 63 balls helped India gun down the target in 35 overs, giving a big boost to their net run-rate ahead of their third World Cup fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 14.
There are few sights better than Rohit going about his business in full flow and that was on full display at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds here.
Ahead of his third World Cup appearance, Rohit had spoken about playing a high-risk game and on Wednesday, he reaped high rewards for that fearless approach.
A clear sign of that intent was when he walked down the track to hit left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi for a flat six over wide long off in the fifth over of the chase, completing 1000 World Cup runs in the process. It was also the fastest hundred by an Indian in the 50-over mega event.
For the majority of their 156-run opening stand, Ishan Kishan (47 off 47) had the best view of Rohit's artistry from the non striker's end.
The India skipper brought up his fifty with a rasping strike over mid-on off Naveen Ul Haq. Like the rest of the bowlers, Naveen too was guilty of pitching it short far too often and Rohit got his second maximum by pulling him over backward square leg.
One of his five sixes came via the wrong un off star spinner Rashid Khan who was held back till the 15th over with Rohit on the rampage. Out of his 16 fours, his gentle push between cover and the mid-off fielder off Naveen was most soothing to the eyes.
With India racing to 154 in 18 overs, the game was heading in only one direction.
Rashid was once again the only Afghanistan bowler who made an impact, removing a well-set Kishan and Rohit, both falling to his googly.
Virat Kohli (55 not out off 56) too looked good and took the team over the line with an uppish straight drive over the bowler's head. He and Naveen hugging each other during the chase was an indication that the duo had very well moved on from their altercation in the IPL earlier this year.
Earlier, Afghanistan skipper Shahidi walked the talk as Afghanistan put up a much-improved effort with the bat compared to what they had managed in their tournament opener against Bangladesh.
His 121-run stand for the fourth wicket with 23-year-old Omarzai allowed Afghanistan to post a fighting total.
At 211 for 4 in 40 overs, Afghanistan looked likely to get close to 300 but India bowlers did well to stem the flow of runs.
Jasprit Bumrah was by far the best bowler for the home team, delivering in both the powerplay and the death overs to end with figures of 4 for 39 in 10 overs. This was Bumrah's best figures in a World Cup game.
The ball did not turn much but Kuldeep Yadav ended with tidy figures of one for 40 in 10 overs.
It wasn't the smoothest of starts for Afghanistan, who reached 48 for one in the opening Powerplay.
While Bumrah got the ball to talk in his first spell of four overs but Mohammed Siraj leaked 28 runs off his first 24 balls. Siraj ended up conceding 76 runs off his nine overs.
The opening duo of Ibrahim Zadran (22) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (21) collected five boundaries off Siraj, whose ploy of consistently targeting the stumps did not pay off.
Bumrah got the breakthrough with a short of length ball on the off-stump that straightened a shade to take the outside edge off Zadran's bat.
Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah (16) falling in a space of three balls brought Shahdi and Omarzai in the middle.
The much younger Omarzai, promoted up the order, found the odd boundary while Shahidi played second fiddle.
The highlight of Omarzai's innings was the ease with which he played the Indian spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep. He dispatched Kuldeep for two sixes on either side of the straight boundary in the 25th over.
His third six off Kuldeep came in the 34th over when he picked the Indian spinner's wrong 'un and deposited it over long on.
Shahidi, on the other hand, was good with cut against the pacers and his stand out shot was the ramp off Hardik Pandya.
Rashid did come up with some crisp blows towards the end but Afghanistan only managed 61 runs in the last 10 overs with the loss of four wickets.
Ahmedabad: India beats Pakistan
Oct 15, 2023: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with a sublime half-century after a sensational bowling display by the bowlers as India extended their World Cup win record to 8-0 with a crushing seven-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
IND vs PAK: AS IT HAPPENED | SCORECARD
This victory marked India's third successive win in the ongoing World Cup, taking them to the top of the standings, after wins against Australia and Afghanistan in their previous encounters.
This was also Pakistan's second lowest score, 191 all out, against India in the ODI World Cup after the 173 all out back in 1992.
Skipper Babar Azam (50) and Mohammad Rizwan (49) were the top scorers for Pakistan but they lost 8 wickets in a span of 36 runs to slip from 155/2 to 191 all out in a dramatic battling collapse.
Here's how India outplayed Pakistan in a one-sided contest:
Siraj triggers collapse by dismissing well-set Babar
Young paceman Mohammed Siraj knocked over Babar's off stump soon after he reached his fifty, triggering a batting collapse from which Pakistan could not recover. They lost their skipper at the score of 155. The delivery subtly deviated off a shorter length, catching the Pakistan captain off-guard as he misread it entirely. He found himself rooted to his crease, attempting to guide the ball to the third man area. It also broke an 82-run third wicket stand between Babar (50 off 58 balls) and Mohammed Rizwan (49 off 69 balls). It was Siraj's second wicket after he trapped opener Abdullah Shafique to provide India a crucial breakthrough.
Kuldeep's double-strike in one over
Kuldeep Yadav's exceptional bowling performance, where he claimed 2 wickets for 35 runs, played a crucial role in rapidly pushing Pakistan into a downward spiral. Saud Shakeel was Kuldeep's first victim, falling to the second ball of his third over. Kuldeep, a chinaman bowler, outwitted Shakeel with a deceptive leg-spinner that skidded off the pitch, surprising him as he attempted a sweep shot. The delivery struck him on the pads, resulting in a loud appeal from the Indian team. The umpire initially remained unmoved, but India decided to review, and the decision ultimately favoured them, as the review clearly displayed the ball's trajectory heading towards the middle and leg stumps. Just four deliveries later in the same over, Kuldeep outfoxed Iftikhar Ahmed with a deceptive wrong'un. This crucial wicket saw Pakistan's score plummet to 166 for five, a significant decline from their earlier position at 155 for two, when Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan added 82 runs for the third wicket to build a strong platform.
Bumrah's timely two-wicket burst
Once Pakistan were down in the dumps, Jasprit Bumrah came into the act and provided India with a two-wicket burst to pile more misery on Pakistan as they were reduced from 166/5 to 171/7 in no time. Rizwan, who was approaching his well-deserved half-century, was the first to go as he encountered a deceptive wobbly seam slow off-cutter from Bumrah, who had an impressive bowling spell of 2 wickets for just 19 runs in 7 overs. The delivery skillfully found its way through the slender gap between Rizwan's bat and pad, marking the decisive moment when Pakistan's resistance came to a halt. Bumrah struck again an over later to knock over Shadab Khan's off stump further denting hopes of Pakistan putting up a fighting total.
Rohit-Iyer show
The 'Hitman' Rohit regained his lost mojo after a cracking century against Afghanistan in the previous encounter. Rohit continued from where he left but missed out on a well-deserved ton to get out on 86. The Indian skipper showed his intent right from the word go as he was dealing in sixes, becoming the third batter to hit 300 sixes in ODIs after Shahid Afridi and Chris Gayle. He whacked 6 sixes and as many fours in his 63-ball stay in the middle. India lost the returning Shubman Gill for 16 and Virat Kohli also on the same score but Rohit kept up the charge with his 53rd ODI half-century. He reached fifty in 36 balls laced with three fours and four sixes. Lanky Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi, who dismissed Gill before, got rid of the Indian captain but he had already done the damage by then. Shreyas Iyer took the baton after Rohit's departure and scored a composed half-century to guide the team home with a boundary. Iyer (53 off 62 balls; 4s:3, 6s: 2) and KL Rahul (19*) remained unbeaten, handing India a convincing seven-wicket win.
Details
Nitin Naik, Oct 15, 2023: The Times of India
From: Nitin Naik, Oct 15, 2023: The Times of India
See graphic:
5 factors that made India's day, India vs. Pakistan, Oct 15, 2023
AHMEDABAD: March 2020. As India and the world got ready to go into lockdown, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to conduct a poll on twitter, now X. "Which batsman past or present has the best pull shot in your opinion," the poll read. The options provided were Ricky Ponting, Vivian Richards, Herschelle Gibbs and Virat Kohli.
Apart from numerous responses from the fans, there was a reply from none other than Rohit Sharma. Seeing his name left out, Rohit Sharma posted: "Someone's missing here. Not easy to work from home, I guess." He was of course, referring to himself.
If there is a shot that the Indian captain and opener owns and romances, it is the pull shot. Blessed with the ability to pick up length quickly, he gets into positions early to hit even the fastest bowlers deep into the stands.
India vs Pakistan: Rohit Sharma, bowlers star in India’s dominant 7-wicket win
In a dominating display of chasing down a score of 192 against Pakistan in a high-stakes World Cup encounter, Rohit decided to troll the ICC again. This time, with bat in hand. The pull shot off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the bowler's fourth over landed miles over deep square leg. The pull essayed against Haris Rauf in the 15th over was even better, as the ball was pacier and was pitched just short of a length. He rocked back and pulled it over square leg.
It sent a message that India were not going to plod and ponder their way to the 192-run target. They were going to go full blast. Rohit made several other statements too on a pitch that was not ideal for strokeplay. The dance down the track off Mohammad Nawaz to deposit him over long on. The swat off a Shadab Khan full toss over mid-wicket, followed by the square drive by opening his wrists. If batting was a buffet, Rohit had the full spread on at Motera.
Ironically, the shot that got him out for 86 (63 balls, 6x4, 6x6), a hoick off an Afridi slow off-cutter that stuck into the pitch and hit the toe-end of his bat, was the only time he looked ugly. Shubman Gill (16) and Virat Kohli (16) played some attractive shots, but they fell while trying to force the pace. Kohli miscued a pull to Nawaz off Hasan Ali, while Gill square cut Afridi to Shadab at point.
Shreyas Iyer helped himself to a stylish, unbeaten 53 (62 balls, 3x4, 2x6), showing his class against spin bowling and lofting Shadab and Nawaz for sixes and KL Rahul 19* (29 balls, 2x4) ensured that there was no drama. India were not going to waste the effort of the bowlers, especially Man of the Match Jasprit Bumrah (7-1-19-2), who had bowled out Pakistan for 191 after Rohit won the toss and fielded.
With three wins out of three and an NRR of +1.821, India now sit on top of the table and have a four-day break before they take on Bangladesh in Pune on the 19th. Pakistan travel to Bengaluru to face Australia on the 20th. Along with the hurt of losing tamely to their arch rivals again, they will also be carrying worries over the lack of potency in their bowling attack, something that India worried about for several years.
Pune: India beats Bangladesh
Oct 20, 2023: The Times of India
India vs Bangladesh highlights, World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli slams 48th century as India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
IND vs BAN highlights: Virat Kohli's unbeaten century sealed India's fourth win from four World Cup matches as the hosts defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in Pune on Thursday. Star batsman Kohli reached his century and ended the match in style with a six against spinner Nasum Ahmed when he needed three runs to complete his century and India required two more runs to reach a target of 257. They got there with more than eight overs to spare, finishing on 261-3. Kohli faced 97 balls, including six fours and four sixes, with this century his third score in excess of fifty in four innings following contributions of 85 and 55 not out in recent pool wins over Australia and Afghanistan. But for Bangladesh, a third defeat in four matches left them with an uphill struggle to qualify for the semi-finals. The stage was set for Kohli by an opening partnership of 88 between India skipper Rohit Sharma (48) and Shubman Gill (53). Rohit signalled India's intentions with a second-ball cover-driven four off Shoriful Islam as Bangladesh bowling coach Allan Donald, the former South Africa spearhead, looking on from the boundary edge. Rohit, fresh from scores of 131 and 86 against Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively, hooked Hasan Mahmud for a huge six only to hole out when trying to repeat the shot next ball. Kohli, however, was soon into his stride with a four -- off a free hit -- and a sublime straight six from successive Mahmud deliveries. Gill's exit, as he just failed to clear the rope for a third time, made little difference to the run-spree. Earlier, spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja sparked a top-order collapse against a Bangladesh side who had won three of their four previous ODIs against India. The Tigers were held to 256-8, having been well-placed at 93 without loss, after stand-in Tigers skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss on a good batting pitch. Jadeja took a miserly 2-38 from his 10 overs and Yadav 1-47. Tanzid Hasan, whose 51 was the left-hander's maiden ODI fifty, and Liton Das (66) shared a fine opening stand while facing Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj only for Bangladesh to slump to 137-4. The 22-year-old Tanzid, whose highest score in eight previous ODIs was 16, completed a 41-ball fifty before he was lbw to left-arm wrist-spinner Yadav.
Liton was still there but he carelessly lofted Jadeja to long-off.
India were a bowler down after Hardik Pandya managed just three balls in the ninth over before limping off with ankle damage.
Kohli, bowling in an ODI for the first time in six years, completed Pandya's over.
Mushfiqur Rahim's 38 and fellow veteran Mahmudullah's 46 bolstered Bangladesh's total.
But with left-arm spinner and regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan sidelined following the thigh injury suffered during Friday's eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Chennai, it never looked enough.
India's quest for a third World Cup title continues against New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday, with Bangladesh facing South Africa in Mumbai.
Dharamshala: India beats New Zealand, after 2003
Partha Bhaduri, Oct 23, 2023: The Times of India
From: Partha Bhaduri, Oct 23, 2023: The Times of India
India’s World Cup campaign acquired an aura of invincibility, and more than a dash of inevitability, with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand chasing 274.
Five games in, the law of averages has not applied to this team so far. At the centre of this powerful vortex consuming all in its path is the eye of the storm, Virat Kohli, the calm epicentre, the glue who binds the diverse elements and brazenly attempts to scale both tall run-chases and some stratospheric landmarks which are in his sights.
The epoch-making 49th ton which would have equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI tally nearly happened on Sunday, but Kohli faltered on 95 (104b; 8x4, 2x6), going for a six and falling to a Matt Henry slower delivery with five runs still needed for victory.
With the long tail exposed and captain Rohit Sharma looking on, incredulous, Ravindra Jadeja (39 not out off 44; 3x4, 1x6) at the other end calmly fashioned the winning runs, laying to rest the ghosts of India’s semifinal defeat to the same team in the 2019 edition. Incidentally, Jadeja was batting for the first time in the World Cup since that game. The win not only broke a jinx stretching back to 2003 but ticked a lot of important boxes along the way. For one, India have a veteran pacer who can come off the bench and break the back of the Kiwi resistance with a fifer, as Mohammed Shami did with his 5/54.
Shami showed there is no alternative to the skills of a specialist in a crunch game, and though India needed two players to replace the injured Hardik Pandya — Shami and Suryakumar Yadav — they made the best of the bargain. Rarely are teams blessed with so many cricketers who have the ability to hit peak form when required, though Surya missed out on Sunday, sacrificing his wicket for Kohli amid some chaotic scenes.
The sacrifice was well worth it, as the ‘chasemaster’ again fashioned a tricky chase on a pitch with some inconsistent bounce in these high-altitude conditions, showcasing that he is still the spine in this batting order. All the others need to do is either set the early tempo with the bat, like Rohit Sharma does game after game, or bat around him, like KL Rahul and then Ravindra Jadeja did on Sunday. The template has worked like a charm so far in chases, as it has for years.
Kohli’s consistency is uncanny. He can absorb pressure by rotating strike, swat away the bad balls for boundaries — even square drive some good ones or charge down the ground to the pacers — and break a target down by eliminating any notion of prevailing chaos. Kohli is still relentlessly driving both this team and his ambitions forward.
Even the boxes India did not tick — like chief spinner Kuldeep Yadav leaking runs and being unable to prise an opening in the middle overs, or the surprisingly poor catching on view, or Shreyas Iyer giving in to his ego and falling to yet another short delivery — did not hurt them. Daryl Mitchell’s spectacular, counterattacking 127-ball 130 couldn’t take his team over the line as Shami stemmed the tide.
With India 230/5 in 41 overs and needing 44 more from 54 balls, with only the long tail to come, the tense crowd sensed its moment and came alive, infusing energy in the proceedings with its “Kohli, Kohli” chants. It was again all about the man. Would a 49th ton happen? This wasn’t as sealed a deal as the Bangladesh affair, though, and Jadeja had other ideas.
He danced down to Rachin Ravindra, who had forged a fine partnership with Mitchell earlier to again showcase his worth. The shot went high over midwicket for six as the fielder slipped near the boundary, no doubt undone by the poor condition of the Dharamshala outfield. Kohli still went for it, and eventually it was one hit too many.
The win was set up in the initial overs of the game, as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj’s new-ball spell tied the Kiwis up in knots. Devon Conway fell early, the nerves set in, and the Kiwi batters had a poor first Powerplay, allowing the two pacers to settle on their lengths. It wasn’t until Mitchell came in and showed the pluck to stand outside his crease or dance down the wicket that the runs started coming.
Shami did the rest, taking a wicket with his first ball in the World Cup and posing happy questions for the team management. This wasn’t an easy win by any means, but India right now seem untouched by notions of the ordinary. Even the hill mist which descended here in the late evening and disrupted the game for a quarter of an hour couldn’t break the winning run.
Lucknow: India beats England
Partha Bhaduri, Oct 30, 2023: The Times of India
From: Partha Bhaduri, Oct 30, 2023: The Times of India
Lucknow : India’s World Cup campaign officially gained invincibility status.
Poor England. Down and out on their luck, they were seemingly having a good time until first Jasprit Bumrah (3/32 in 6.5 overs) and then Mohammed Shami (4/22 in 7) — those two fiery, relentless avenging angels of pace and fizz and seam and genius — turned the new white ball into a screaming, spherical weapon of mass destruction under lights. The pace duo’s effort killed any ambitions Jos Buttler’s men may have nurtured about resurrecting their doomed campaign. It also gave India their sixth consecutive victory. Clearly, this is not a team that believes in the law of averages. India won by 100 runs in 34.5 overs after putting up what at first looked a below-par 229/9 batting first.
Chasing 230 on a challenging pitch where even some of India’s best batters struggled, and with the dew coming in, England experienced a false dawn — Siraj bowled too full and the boundaries flowed from the bat of Dawid Malan. A score of 26 for no loss after four overs during a tricky chase can always soothe the nerves. To be fair, it was over before England could say “Boom, Boom” in tune with the MC here at the Ekana stadium. Fifth ball of the fifth over, Bumrah, always questioning with that in-between, just short of good length deliveries, got Malan to chop on, the batter shaping up for a cut shot and finding no room.
Next ball, Joe Root — with his poor returns whenever he comes out to bat between overs 1-10 already the talk of the town — was plumb legbefore. Pitched up, skiddy, keeping low, stuck flush on the pads in front of the stumps. Bumrah leapt high and punched the air. Fifty thousand people at the Ekana stadium heaved in unison and let out a collective yell of triumph. Root trudged off, but not before wasting a DRS call.
Up next, eighth over, a Shami masterclass for Ben Stokes. Around the wicket to the left-hander, angling in, then seaming away. The batter, left repeatedly frustrated by the back-of-a-length deliveries, eventually looked to hit his way out of jail. The ball was fuller and it clattered the exposed stumps. A 10-ball duck. Shades of Virat Kohli’s impatient 9-ball duck earlier in the day. England 33/3. First ball of Shami’s next over, Jonny Bairstow, on the backfoot, dragged one on to the stumps. Shami was on a hat-trick now. England were 39/4 and the game was virtually dead in 9.1 overs.
Any hopes of a rebuilding phase were nipped in the bud by leggie Kuldeep Yadav snaring Buttler and Livingstone. Even with the dew setting in heavily, the spinners were not easy to get away. India too had lost a flurry of early wickets when they batted, but the perspicacity of Rohit Sharma (87 off 101 balls; 10x4, 3x6), and with his sheer skill with the bat, saved the day. KL Rahul contributed in a 91-run partnership to resurrect the innings before a fluent Suryakumar took the score to safety. The rest were unable to soak up the pressure.
Where do India go from here? They have a few important pointers after having batted first for the first time in this tournament. They need to play the waiting game better. The addition of Suryakumar adds punch to the lineup. They cannot drop Shami now, on any surface.
Kolkata: India beats South Africa
Archiman Bhaduri, Nov 6, 2023: The Times of India
KOLKATA: Sometimes you play to your strength and sometimes you play on your opponents' weakness. India skipper Rohit Sharma perhaps opted for the latter against South Africa at the Eden Gardens.
Batting first in this World Cup, South Africa had scores of 428, 311, 399, 382 and 357. And each time, they won by more than 100 runs.
But while chasing, they lost to Netherlands and narrowly escaped with a one-wicket win against Pakistan.
But whatever might be the rationale behind the call, at the end of the day, the Indian juggernaut kept rolling as the Men in Blue thrashed South Africa by 243 runs to make it eight-out-of-eight wins in this ICC ODI World Cup.
The packed Eden got all that it had wished for as the fans not only enjoyed another dominating India win but also became part of history witnessing Virat Kohli equalling Sachin Tendulkar's 49th ODI hundred, the highest in this format, on his 35th birthday.
The Indian bowlers then turned this potential blockbuster into a one-sided affair by bowling out South Africa for 83 only in 27.1 overs.
On a tricky pitch where shot-making was not easy, Kohli showed character to stay till the end remaining undefeated on 101 to take India to 326 for five. He even foresaw the result after the first innings when he stated, "According to me, the total is well above par.”
Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja all picked up wickets in their first overs as South Africa lost the plot early after being reduced to 40 for five in the 14th over. Only on Saturday, India head coach Rahul Dravid had said, "because of how good our seamers have been and how fantastic it has been to watch them upfront, the performances of people like Jaddu (Jadeja) and Kuldeep (Yadav) have probably gone slightly unnoticed."
Jadeja once again bowled that nagging wicket-to-wicket line that saw him return with five for 33 in his nine overs. Kuldeep finished with two for seven in his 5.1 overs that included one maiden too.
While Shami picked two for 18, Siraj got one for 11.
In contrast, South Africa bowlers were way below average. Except Keshav Maharaj, none of the others could create any impact. While South Africa's highest wicket-taker in this World Cup, left-arm pacer Marco Jansen bowled all over the place, Tabraiz Shamsi, coming in place of Gerald Coetzee, never got his line right straying mostly down the leg.
The situation also exposed the fact that the Proteas lacked a meaningful sixth bowler. South Africa were guilty of bowling 22 wides and two no balls thereby giving India the luxury of playing four extra overs.
Earlier, the Indian innings was orchestrated by Kohli while Shreyas Iyer hit his second successive half-century to establish his credentials for a permanent spot in the playing XI. The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper was happy to be back at 'home' as he hit an 87-ball 77 with the help of seven fours and two sixes.
After Rohit and Gill were off to a flying start, Iyer provided steam to the innings by being involved in a 134-run third-wicket stand with Kohli that took India to a position of strength.
Bengaluru: India beat the Netherlands
Manuja Veerappa, Nov 13, 2023: The Times of India
From: Manuja Veerappa, Nov 13, 2023: The Times of India
POLLUTION-FREE FIREWORKS
Hundreds From Iyer And Rahul Power India To 160-Run Win Over Dutch As Hosts End League Stage Unbeaten
Bengaluru : The throbbing, surging, cheering sea of blue at the M Chinnaswamy stadium was broken only by a speck of orange, which was bright and bold. Rohit Sharma & Co celebrated Deepavali much like they started their league engagements in this World Cup — with a bang.
The home team kicked off festivities on Saturday night with a get-together with family members and support staff. Their last league engagement against the Netherlands seemed a minor detail in the itinerary. It finally was that as they extended their winning streak with a 160-run verdict over the Dutch.
Going in with an unchanged squad in a contest that was more a practice game ahead of the semifinal against New Zealand, it was an opportunity for the hosts to get some game time after a six-day break.
It was a scorecard for keeps with the first three batters — Rohit Sharma (61), Shubman Gill (51) and Virat Kolhi (51) — scoring half-centuries and the No. 4 and No. 5 — Shreyas Iyer (128 n.o; 94; 10x4; 5x6) and KL Rahul (102; 64b; 11x4; 4x6) — sizzling with centuries.
The anticipation of Kohli’s 50th ODI century hung heavy in the air, to such an extent that the crowd cheered when Gill was dismissed. But it was Iyer and homegrown talent Rahul who stole the thunder.
With India posting 410/4, chasing it was always mission impossible for the Dutch, but they fought before finishing with 250 in 47.5 overs. The likes of Max O’Dowd (30), Colin Ackermann (35), Sybrand Engelbrecht (45) and Teja Nidamanuru (54) showed spunk and spirit. The Dutchman stretched the Indian bowling attack like no other team in the league phase. In three matches that India defended before this — against England, Sri Lanka and South Africa — the maximum they had to bowl was 34.5 overs against England.
Earlier, it was an Iyer-Rahul show all the way as the duo pulverised the Dutch bowling attack with the last 10 overs yielding 126 runs. Before them, Rohit and Gill showed sparks of brilliance which didn’t go the distance it could have. Netherlands decided to open with spinner Aryan Dutt, but that had no bearing on the openers’ intent.
Rohit got down to business with two boundaries over backward square leg in the first over. Dutt’s attempt to vary length and pace backfired on the youngster who was taken apart by Rohit and Gill, with the latter smoking the off-spinner on to the roof of the stadium early in the innings.
In eight overs, India raced to 73 and the 100 came in 11.4 overs. Gill was the first to depart, with his pull off Paul van Meekeren pouched superbly by Nidamanuru on the ropes. Rohit too followed a little after his half-century. The skipper mistimed his pull shot off Bas de Leede and handed a regulation catch to Wesley Barresi at deep mid-wicket.
Kohli, who came out to bat to deafening cheers, struggled but hustled. He wasn’t as fluent as the openers but rode on momentum. His stay at the crease was ended by Roelof van der Merwe when Kohli tried to cut a length delivery but allowed it to sneak past and disturb the timber. With nothing to lose, Netherlands did not hold back when they returned for the chase. They focused on giving a good account of themselves. The Indian bowling at one point became free for all. Barring Rahul and Iyer, the rest of the players were tossed the ball. Even as the call of “Kohli ko ball do” gained momentum, the star cricketer bowled three tidy overs and accounted for the wicket of Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards.
Rohit, signalled India’s win with the wicket of the valiant Nidamanuru.
India beats NZ, enters final
[From the archives, Nov 16, 2023: The Times of India]
From: [From the archives, Nov 16, 2023: The Times of India]
PERFECT 10: VIRAT’S 50TH, SHAMI’S 7 FIRE INDIA INTO WC FINAL
Virat Kohli hit his 50th ODI ton — the most by any player in this format, going one ahead of Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 — at Wankhede. Shreyas Iyer (105) ably supported him as India scored 397/4, highest by any team in a World Cup knockout game. New Zealand (327) fought back, but eventually ran out of steam as Mohd Shami took a record-breaking 7 wickets. India face either Australia or South Africa in their 4th World Cup final on Nov 19
711 Runs scored by Virat in this World Cup, the most by any batter in a single men’s ODI World Cup, surpassing Tendulkar’s 673 runs in 2003
8 Fifty-plus scores for Virat in this tournament, the most by a batter in one edition of ODI WC. Tendulkar in 2003 and Shakib Al Hasan in 2019 had 7 each
51Sixes by Rohit Sharma in ODI WCs, most for a player, going past Gayle’s 49. 28 of Rohit’s sixes have come in this WC, the most by any batter in one tournament
67Balls needed for Iyer to complete his century, the fastest in an ODI WC knockout game. The previous fastest was by Adam Gilchrist (off 72 balls in ’07 final)
7/57 Player of the Match Mohd Shami produced the best bowling figures for India in ODIs. It is also the best in a World Cup knockout match by any bowler. Shami is the fastest ever to take 50 ODI WC wickets (54 in 17 innings), breaking Mitchell Starc’s record (19). Shami’s 23 wickets are the most by an Indian in a single WC
chell were batting seemed to frustrate the bowlers. Misfields and overthrows appeared from nowhere and the Indians seemed to be lost.
While Williamson played a scratchy innings before flicking Shami to Suryakumar Yadav at deep square-leg to become Shami’s 50th wicket in World Cups, Mitchell targeted Ravindra Jadeja hitting him deep into the stand for sixes whenever he overpitched. In between, he kept lap-sweeping Kuldeep Yadav for ones and twos which got the ball wet on a dewladen outfield. When the duo was in the midst of their 181-run stand, 33,000 people at the Wankhede had lost their voice.
Shami though helped them find it back with a double strike, getting Williamson, and two balls later Tom Latham for a duck.
They crowd was silenced again when Mitchell and Phillips added a rapid 75 for the fifth wicket.
However, Kuldeep bowled two excellent overs, (his ninth and 10th) which went for just six and produced the wicket of Mark Chapman. Phillips holed out to Jadeja off Bumrah, and the asking rate ballooned leaving the brave but tiring Mitchell too much to do. India now await the winners of the sec ond semifinal between South Africa and five-time champions Australia at the Eden Gardens today.
Earlier, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma had no hesitation in batting first. The skipper, who has prioritised impact knocks over statistical glory, powered his way to a 29-ball 47 (4x4, 4x6).
Rohit fell trying to push on and was caught brilliantly by his opposite number at mid-on while running backwards when he miscued a lofted hit off a Southee off-cutter. Shubman Gill though took Rohit’s attacking role to allow Kohli to settle down and play anchor. He had to retire hurt with cramps on 79 and that brought Iyer to the crease. The stylish No. 4 was severe on part-timer Phillipps and Ravindra and any slower ball bowled by Boult and Southee in his half and raced his way to a hundred.
Apart from Shami’s spell, the pace of Iyer’s knock proved to be the difference.
Final: Australia beats India by 6 wickets
Nitin Naik, Nov 20, 2023: The Times of India
From: Nitin Naik, Nov 20, 2023: The Times of India
Ahmedabad : After India were a bit underwhelming with the bat, a billion hopes rested on their bowlers — particularly the in-form Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami — to create some early havoc. They did too, reducing Australia to 47/3 by the end of the 7th over chasing 241. Enter Travis Head, hero of the day for the Aussies, who obviously had other ideas.
Head (137 off 120 balls, 15x4, 4x6), after surviving some hellish deliveries from both Bumrah and Shami, displayed skill and steel. He was ably partnered by Marnus Labuschagne (58 n.o off 110 balls, 4x4), who was not even named in the preliminary Aussie squad for the tournament and only got in after an injury to spinner Ashton Agar. The two added 192 runs for the fourth wicket to soothe Aussie nerves and guide the team home with six wickets and 42 balls to spare. Their stand broke a billion hearts, and with it, captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid’s dreams of winning the Cup.
After going hard in the powerplay, Head settled down. With little asking rate pressure, there was no need to attempt big shots. Those came only when the game was in the bag as Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were hit for sixes to hasten the end. Head and Labuschagne apart, Aussies need to also thank their bowlers, especially skipper Pat Cummins. After he impressed with the ball, not conceding a boundary in his 10-over quota while taking 2-34, he also dazzled with his tactics as captain.
Cummins won a crucial toss and fielded on a dry and slow pitch that was expected to play better under lights. Indian batters were chained by the discipline and ability of the tall Aussie pacers to hit hard lengths. Tigerish fielding by the inner circle where David Warner, Labuschagne, Smith and Glenn Maxwell cut off the singles added to the pressure as India were unable to break free and were bowled out for 240 in 50 overs.
India had gone 97 balls without a boundary from the 10th over to the 27th as KL Rahul laboured to a 107-ball 66 and was unable to rotate strike. Kohli scored a skillful 54 (63 balls, 4x4) but the damage had been done. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who was the protagonist in powerplay again with a quickfire 47 (31 balls, 4x4, 3x6) played his customary impact innings, which enabled India neutralise the early loss of Shubman Gill.
But Rohit departed, caught brilliantly by Head running backwards, trying to take one risk too many off the last over in the powerplay, miscuing a lofted stroke over cover off Maxwell. The reaction of a pumped-up Maxwell and the rest of the Aussies indicated they now had control. Cum mins dismissed the in-form Shreyas Iyer caught behind and then broke a crucial stand of 67 between Kohli and Rahul by getting Kohli to chop on for 54, his ninth 50-plus score in 11 games.
Once Mitchell Starc dismissed Rahul, India had no set batter to accelerate. They ended with a below-par score and a question — would it have been different if they had played on a true, fresh pitch instead of a used, slow one?
Finals
Factoids
Nov 18, 2023: The Times of India
NO LEFTIE, NO PROBLEM
If India win, they will emulate their own feat of winning the World Cup without a lefthanded batsman in the top 6 (in the XI). They had done the same in 1983. Since then, all World Cup-winning teams have had at least one left-handed batter in the top 6 — Australia 1987 (Allan Border), Pakistan 1992 (Aamer Sohail), Sri Lanka 1996 (Sanath Jayasuriya, Asanka Gurusinha, Arjuna Ranatunga), Australia 1999 (Adam Gilchrist, Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan), Australia 2003 (Gilchrist, Mathew Hayden, Lehmann, Bevan), Australia 2007 (Gilchrist, Hayden, Mike Hussey), India 2011 (Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh), Australia 2015 (David Warner), England 2019 (Eion Morgan, Ben Stokes). Even before 1983, the winners (West Indies in 1975 and 1979) had left-handers Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kalicharran, Clive Lloyd in their team. This time, Australia have two left-handed batters at the top: David Warner and Travis Head. In 2003 and 2007, they also had two such openers in Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist.
CAN OZ END INDIA’S WIN STREAK?
India had ended Australia’s winning streak of 16 Tests in Kolkata in 2001. They had also ended their World Cup-winning stranglehold from 1999 in Ahmedabad to the quarterfinals of the 2011 edition. Now, the Aussies have a chance to end India’s 10-match winning streak in the World Cup.
HOSTS WITH THE MOST
Till 1996, no host had won the World Cup. Sri Lanka did it as co-host (the final was not at home). But if India win it on Sunday, it will be a case of fourth successive triumph by the hosts (2011 India, 2015 Australia, 2019 England) — an unprecedented feat.
KULDEEP’S TIME TO HOG THE LIMELIGHT
If India win the World Cup, Kuldeep Yadav will become only the second-ever ‘chinaman’ bowler — a left-arm wrist spinner — to be part of a champion side. He will follow Australia’s Brad Hogg (2003, 2007). India, in fact, have two specialist left-arm spinners in Kuldeep and Jadeja, a first among World Cup finalists. The Aussies had Brag Hogg and Darren Lehmann, but the latter was a part-timer. In India’s previous two title-winning teams, there was no leg-spinner in 1983 in the final playing XI, just the part-time off-spin of Kirti Azad. In 2011, there was a specialist leggie in Piyush Chawla in the squad, and two specialist offies in Ashwin and Harbhajan, but only Harbhajan was in the XI for the final. This time, Ashwin has played just one group game, against the Aussies in Chennai.
SPECIALIST ’KEEPERS A RARITY
Specialist keepers have also been a part of Cup-winning teams, like Brad Haddin in 2015, but since 1996, he is the only one. Compatriot Josh Inglis gets a chance to emulate him this time. However, in KL Rahul (batter-keeper), India have an ace up their sleeve. Just think Jos Buttler (England, 2019), MS Dhoni (India, 2011), Adam Gilchrist (Australia, 2007, 2003 and 1999) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (Sri Lanka, 1996).
Significant matches
Dwaipayan Datta, Nov 20, 2023: The Times of India
India may have found the going tough when it mattered the most, but they had been an indomitable force throughout the tournament, as the manner and margin of victories in the last 10 games showed. India shone for most part, but there were those key moments that would stay in our memories forever. TOI revisits those scenes…
1 Rahul-Kohli partnership in Chennai: Chasing 200 for victory on a slightly tricky track, India were reduced to 3 for 2 when Kohli and Rahul got together. A loss in that game would have allowed self-doubt to creep in and India earned a stroke of luck when Mitchell Marsh dropped Kohli when the score was 20. After that Kohli and Rahul, who made a superb comeback from an injury in the lead-up to the World Cup, were involved in a 164-run partnership that laid down the marker. They mixed caution with aggression, took on leggie Adam Zampa and ran away with a six-wicket win that could so easily have gone the other way.
2 Dismantling of Pakistan in Ahmedabad: In World Cups, India have had the upper-hand over Pakistan and it wasn’t a surprise that India won. But it was the way the top-order chased down 192 on a track where spinners were getting some help made everyone sit up and take notice. There was absolutely no fear as Rohit Sharma launched into a vicious attack on the Pakistani bowlers making 83 off 63 balls. As India got the runs in just 30.3 overs, all watching teams knew that this home team is a different beast.
3 Pandya’s injury and Shami’s inclusion: It was a difficult decision for India to keep Mohammed Shami out of the team in the first four games. But when Hardik Pandya got injured in Game 5, against Bangladesh, India were left with no option but to include Mohammed Shami in the playing XI. The in-form 33-year-old, sitting out till then with a sense of hurt, made an immediate impact after being drafted into the team against New Zealand. In the Dharamshala heights, it was his 5/54 that helped India restrict New Zealand to a manageable 273 after the Kiwis had got a great start. Shami followed it up with a truckload of wickets and became the best bowler of this World Cup by a distance.
4 Defending 229 in Lucknow: It was the first time in this World Cup that India were batting first and on a difficult pitch Rohit’s magnificent 87 helped the Men in Blue reach 229, which is sub-par in modernday ODI cricket. There was a strong feeling that India would suffer their first loss of the tournament, but the Indian bowlers reacted brilliantly. Bumrah’s outstanding opening spell was followed up by Mohammed Shami’s 4/22 and England collapsed to a 100-run loss. Rival teams knew that it would be very difficult to challenge India.
5 Iyer coming good against Lanka: All the components of the Indian machine had fallen into place, barring one. At No. 4, Shreyas Iyer wasn’t getting the runs and he was probably one failure away from getting dropped. The right-hander was finding it difficult to deal with the short ball till then, but chose his home ground Wankhede to put all the doubts to rest. Iyer’s 82 off 56 balls meant India had absolutely no weaknesses which the opposition could exploit. 6 Dismissing Kane Williamson in the semis: For the first time after their first game against Australia, there was a sense of doubt creeping in as New Zealand needed 200 off 20 overs on the Wankhede batting paradise. Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell had settled in beautifully and five more overs of that partnership could have spelt doom for India. It was at this point that Shami, coming back for his second spell, broke the 181-run partnership by removing Williamson. The paceman finished off with 7/57 as India marched into the final.
A STAND-OUT MOMENT TO CHERISH
Kohli’s 50 ODI century : Breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI centuries record in front of the Little Master at the Wankhede, was truly a fairy-tale moment not just for Kohli but for all those who have followed these two Indian greats over the years. Kohli could have got his 49th too in Mumbai earlier against Sri Lanka, but fell short by only 12 runs. He equalled Tendulkar in Kolkata and followed it up with the most crucial century of the World Cup in Mumbai. While it was a personal milestone of massive proportion, the 117 off 113 balls was central to India getting 398 on the board that made the difference in the end.
See also
World Cup (cricket): history <>World Cup (cricket): 1975 <>World Cup (cricket): 1979 <>World Cup (cricket): 1983 <>World Cup (cricket): 1987 <>World Cup (cricket): 1992 <>World Cup (cricket): 1996 <>World Cup (cricket): 1999 <>World Cup (cricket): 2003 <>World Cup (cricket): 2007 <>World Cup (cricket): 2011 <>World Cup (cricket): 2015 <>World Cup (cricket): 2019 <>World Cup (cricket): 2023
