Both teams were unbeaten in the group coming into this encounter, which presented a fascinating opportunity how they would fare under significant pressure for the first time.
India were immediately on the back foot with Shubman Gill pinned lbw by Henry for two, skipper Rohit Sharma fell to Kyle Jamieson for 15 and the crowd was silenced by another of Phillips’ one-handed acrobatic efforts.
But Axar and Shreyas, whose partnership came from 136 balls, expertly rotated the strike calmly and adjusted to the tricky surface which enabled Hardik to play more expansively in the closing overs.
While it was not explosive, it was the significant partnership that New Zealand’s innings lacked as nobody was able to support Williamson, with the stand of 44 between himself and Daryl Mitchell the highest contribution.
They did not collapse or lose wickets in clusters but Rohit utilised his four spinners cannily, with each offering a different challenge and none of the batters were able to settle.
At 133-3 with 18 overs remaining, the match was intriguingly poised but when Tom Latham was trapped in front by Ravindra Jadeja, India had their opening and Chakravarthy burst through.
Having earlier removed opener Will Young for 22, he had Phillips and Michael Bracewell lbw, Mitchell Santner was bowled for 28 and Henry was caught at mid-off for two.
New Zealand will still be confident as they head back to the batter-friendly surface of Lahore, but India’s spin quartet looks like it will be the biggest challenge for any team to overcome.
Leave a Reply