Centuries from Virat Kohli 117 (113) and Shreyas Iyer 105 (70) complemented by Shubman Gill 80 (66) half-century and skipper Rohit Sharma’s quickfire 47 off 29 balls powered India to a massive total of 397 for 4 in the World Cup semifinal against New Zealand on Wednesday in Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium.
During India’s tremendous batting display, star batter Virat Kohli became the first batter in the history of the game to score 50 ODI centuries, going past his idol Sachin Tendulkar.
In the same innings, Kohli also became the highest scorer in a single edition of a World Cup, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar (673 runs in 2003). During his unbeaten innings, Kohli bettered Tendulkar’s record which he had created in the 2003 edition of the World Cup , was hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Kohli also became the highest run-getter of this tournament, eclipsing South Africa’s Quinton de Kock (591), followed by New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra (565).
India opener Shubman Gill scored a scintillating 13th ODI fifty and, along with Virat Kohli, maintained the momentum and swift scoring pace after India lost captain Rohit Sharma for a quickfire 47. Once again, Rohit and Gill gave India a fine start and put 71 runs on board for the opening wicket. Just when Rohit was looking in ominous touch, Tim Southee managed to get rid of him with a well-disguised slow delivery. Gill then shifted gears to keep up the pace of scoring and notched up 79 off 65 balls before retiring hurt in the 23rd over, seemingly with a hamstring issue.
Shreyas Iyer joined Virat Kohli in the middle after Gill and both made the most of the opportunity by scoring at a brisk pace. It was a tough day for Kiwi bowlers as Indian batters took them to the cleaners with ease, and India ended up
Earlier, Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow Wankhede pitch. Interestingly, India have never beaten New Zealand in an ICC knockout contest.
