India Out of ICC Cricket World Cup After Loss to New Zealand

Posted by Betwala on July 18th, 2019

Cricket for India is now out of the ICC Cricket World Cup after their semi-final loss to New Zealand. The crowd favorites were unable to make the most of their appearance on the pitch with their top-order collapsing, leaving the responsibility to lift the team out of trouble to MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. They tried to do just do that, but the task proved too difficult.

The Kiwis, on the other hand, had their work cut out for them when the match was first postponed on its first day due to heavy rain. The match was stopped with New Zealand having a score of 211/5. The umpires urged the players to move off the field while the rain persists; after about four hours, they decided that the match will continue the following day. During it, the Kiwis continued their onslaught as they went on to score 239 runs after 50 overs.

India, on the other hand, witnessed their top-order of batsmen go out cheaply, one after the other. They were only 5/3 after five overs, which then became 24/4, then 92/6. They were nearly ready to throw in the towel, but MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja had other plans. Together, they put up a 116-run stand in an attempt to bring India back into the game. Jadeja also got to 77 in 59 balls. After celebrating his half-century in-game with his trademark sword swing, he gestured to the commentary box as if he was asking, “What?” Many believed that his actions were directed towards Sanjay Manjrekar, who later apologized and said that “Jadeja proved me wrong.” However, despite their best efforts, they fell short of the target by 18 runs. 

Their performance didn’t go unnoticed, however, as Ravichandran Ashwin applauded their last-minute heroics and attempts to bring India back in a losing game. Sachin Tendulkar, on the other hand, criticized the team. What bothered him the most was MS Dhoni coming in to bat at number seven after the likes of Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant. The veteran was sent when India were reeling at 71/5 and got out in the penultimate over. Even Sachin Tendulkar felt that Dhoni batted a bit too low to his liking and could’ve handled things better coming in at five.

Though Dhoni scored only 50 runs off 72 deliveries, he handled the players at the other end well. Hardik Pandya played a wrong shot to break the shackles but then Ravindra Jadeja came and turned the game on its head. During the course of a game-changing partnership, MS Dhoni was constantly in the all-rounder’s ears. But they were left too much to do in the end as India fell short of the target by 19 runs.

With India now out of the ICC Cricket World Cup, they are preparing themselves for their tour of West Indies. This test will have a span of three days, with India looking to add to their Test rating. Sports betting online for these upcoming tests are available in different sports betting sites or sportsbooks. Sport betting odds will follow as soon as they are available.