DHARAMSHALA:During the ICC Cricket World Cup match between India and New Zealand, the game witnessed a weird interruption as clouds came down to a low height, stopping the high-octane action between these two teams.
At the time of interruption, India was at 100/2, with Shreyas Iyer (21*) and Virat Kohli (7*) unbeaten. Players had to walk off the field as clouds had covered the majority of the ground’s area.
During the 16th over of India’s innings in a chase of 274 runs, clouds came down the ground to a very low height, making the visibility extremely low for players who could not see the ball properly. The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium is situated around 1,457 m above the sea level and has Himalayan mountains as its background, making it one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. At this altitude, clouds came down at a low height, which lowered visibility.
But for those 10 minutes or so, when the game was interrupted, the scenes were far from beautiful for excited Indian fans who are waiting for Men in Blue to break their 20-year losing streak to Kiwis in ICC tournaments.
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1716097721025843406
Coming to the match, India put New Zealand to bat first. Men in Blue was off to a good start, reducing Kiwis to 19/2 in powerplay. But a partnership of 159 runs between Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra (75 in 87 balls, with six fours and a six) helped NZ come back in the game.
However, India made a comeback in later stages, bundling out Kiwis for 273 runs in 50 overs.
Mohammed Shami (5/54) was the pick of the bowlers for India. Kuldeep Yadav (2/73) was also fine with the ball. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj took a wicket each.
India needs 274 to register their fifth successive win. During their chase, they got off to a flying start with the help of a 71-run opening stand between skipper Rohit Sharma (46 in 40 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Shubman Gill (26 in 31 balls with five fours). But Lockie Ferguson dismissed both of them to land India in a tricky position before Iyer and Virat stabilised the innings. (ANI)