Pre-tournament faV(ou)(i)ra(i)tes India don’t (Ki)win

India made just one change to their playing eleven – Kuldeep Yadav made way for Yuzvendra Singh Chahal. New Zealand made a couple of changes to the eleven that last played India – Colin Munro and Todd Astle made way for Martin Guptill and Lockie Ferguson.

On winning the toss, Kane Williamson, the New Zealand skipper, chose to bat. Guptill, who faced 14 balls, scored just a run. Twenty-one balls into the match, he was caught by Virat Kohli, India’s skipper. Jasprit Bumrah broke the one-run stand.

Henry Nicholls, whose 51-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 28. Eighty-nine balls later, Ravindra Jadeja broke the 68-run stand. Williamson, whose 95-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries, scored 67. Seventeen overs later, he was caught by Jadeja. Chahal broke the 65-run stand.

James Neesham, whose 18-ball innings included a boundary, scored a dozen. Thirty-four balls later, he was caught by Dinesh Karthik. Hardik Pandya broke the 28-run stand. Colin de Grandhomme, whose 10-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 16. Twenty-two balls later, he was caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke the 38-run stand.

The Kiwis had scored 211 for the loss of five wickets off 46.1 overs when it began to pour, resulting in the resumption of play on the reserve day. The sixth-wicket pair put on 25. Ross Taylor, who was 67 overnight, added just seven to his score the next day. His 90-ball innings included three boundaries and the only six of the innings. Twenty balls later. Jadeja ran him out.

Tom Latham, who was batting on three when rain stopped play, added seven to his score. He faced 11 balls. The next ball, he was caught by Jadeja. Kumar broke the seventh-wicket stand. Mitchell Santner, whose 13-ball innings included a boundary, scored nine. He was unbeaten.

Henry, the player of the Mat(t)ch, faced a couple of balls, scoring a run. Five balls later, he was caught by Kohli. Needless to say, Kumar was in seventh heaven. Trent Boult faced three balls, scoring as many. He was unbeaten.

India conceded 18 extras. New Zealand scored 239 for the loss of eight wickets off 50 overs. Chahal, Pandya, Bumrah (whose spell included a maiden) and Jadeja bowled 10 overs each, picking up a scalp apiece. They conceded 63, 55, 39 and 34, respectively. Kumar bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 43, picking up three scalps.

Rohit Sharma, who faced four balls, scored just a run. Nine balls into the chase, he was caught by Latham. Henry broke the four-run stand. Kohli, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored just a run. Seven balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Boult, who broke the one-run stand.

Lokesh Rahul, who faced seven balls, scored just a run. A couple of dot balls later, he was caught by Latham off the bowling of Henry. Karthik, whose 25-ball innings included a boundary, scored half-a-dozen. Forty-one balls later, he was caught by Neesham. Henry broke the 19-run stand.

Rishabh Pant, whose 56-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 32. Seventy-seven balls later, he was caught by de Grandhomme. Santner broke the 47-run stand. Pandya, whose 62-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 32. Forty-six balls later, he was caught by Williamson. Santner broke the 21-run stand.

Jadeja, whose 59-ball innings included four boundaries and as many sixes, scored 77. A hundred and four balls later, he was caught by Williamson. Boult broke the 116-run stand. The eighth-wicket pair put on eight. Dhoni, whose 72-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored 50. Four balls later, Guptill ran him out.

Kumar, who faced a ball, failed to get off the mark. Three balls later, Ferguson broke the one-run stand. Chahal, whose run-a-ball innings included a boundary, scored five. Three balls later, he was caught by Latham. Neesham broke the four-run stand. Bumrah, who didn’t face a ball, was unbeaten.

New Zealand conceded 16 extras. India, who were dismissed for 221 off 49.3 overs, lost by 18 runs. De Grandhomme, who bowled a couple of wicketless overs, conceded 13. Neesham, who bowled 7.3 overs, conceded 49. He picked up a wicket.

Ferguson, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 43. He picked up a wicket. Boult and Santner bowled 10 overs, including two maidens, each, picking up two wickets apiece. While the former conceded 42, the latter conceded 34. Henry bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 37, picking up three scalps.

New Zealand advanced.



   

   

India are Vi(ra)(c)torious against SL

India made a couple of changes to their playing eleven – Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal made way for Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Sri Lanka made nine changes to the eleven that (Dickwel)last played the Indians – Danushka Gunathilaka, Upul Tharanga, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Niroshan, Asela Gunaratne, Sachith Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep made way for Dimuth Karunaratne (who was leading the team), Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha and Lasith Malinga.

On winning the toss, Karunaratne chose to bat. He scored 10. His 17-ball innings included a couple of boundaries. Twenty-two balls into the match, he was caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Jasprit Bumrah broke the 17-run stand. Kusal Perera, whose 14-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 18. Twenty-one balls later, he was caught by Dhoni. Bumrah broke the 23-run stand.

Mendis, who faced 13 balls, scored just three. Twenty-one balls later, he was stumped by Dhoni. Jadeja broke the 13-run stand. Fernando, whose 21-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 20. Half-a-dozen balls later, he caught by Dhoni. Hardik Pandya broke the fourth-wicket stand, which was worth just a couple.

Thirimanne, whose 68-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 53. A hundred and fifty-seven balls later, he was caught by Jadeja. Yadav broke the 124-run stand. Angelo Mathews, whose 128-ball innings included 10 boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 113. Sixty-three balls later, he was caught by Rohit, the player of the (Shar)match. Bumrah broke the 74-run stand.

De Silva, whose 36-ball innings included a boundary, scored 29. He was unbeaten. Thisara Perera, who led Sri Lanka in their previous match against the Indians, faced three balls, scoring a couple. Half-a-dozen balls later, he was caught by Pandya. Needless to say, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was in seventh heaven. Udana, who faced a ball, scored a run. He was unbeaten.

India conceded 15 extras. Sri Lanka scored 264 for the loss of seven wickets off 50 overs. Kumar, Yadav, Pandya and Jadeja bowled 10 overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. They conceded 73, 58, 50 and 40, respectively. Bumrah bowled 10 overs, including a couple of maidens. He conceded 37, picking up three scalps.

Sharma, whose 94-ball innings included 14 boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 103 – his fifth ton at this year’s World Cup. A hundred and eighty-one balls into the chase, he was caught by Mathews. Rajitha broke the 189-run stand. Lokesh Rahul, whose 118-ball innings included 11 boundaries and a six, scored 111. Sixty-five balls later, he was caught by Kusal Perera. Malinga broke the 55-run stand.

Virat Kohli, India’s skipper, scored 34. His 41-ball innings included three boundaries. He was unbeaten. Rishabh Pant faced four balls, scoring as many. His runs came by way of a boundary. Half-a-dozen balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Udana, who broke the nine-run stand. Pandya, whose four-ball innings included a boundary, had a reason to be in seventh heaven – he was unbeaten.

Sri Lanka conceded half-a-dozen extras. India, who scored 265 for the loss of three wickets off 43.3 overs, won by seven wickets off 39 balls to spare. It was the perfect gift for Dhoni on the eve of his 38^th birthday (which falls on July 7). De Silva, who bowled half-a-dozen overs, conceded 51. He was wicketless, as was Thisara, who bowled 10 overs, conceding 34.

Rajitha, who bowled eight overs, conceded 47. He picked up a scalp, as did Udana, who bowled 9.3 overs, conceding 50, and Malinga, who bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 82.

India will play New Zealand in the semi-final.

India beat Bangladesh and qua(Koh)lify

India made a couple of changes to their playing eleven – Kedar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav made way for Dinesh Karthik and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bangladesh made five changes to the eleven that last played the Indians – Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Imraul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah and Nazmul Islam made way for Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin.

On winning the toss, Virat Kohli, India’s skipper, chose to bat. Rohit, the player of the (Shar)match, scored 104. His 92-ball innings included seven boundaries and five sixes. A hundred and seventy-six balls into the match, he was caught by Liton Das. Soumya Sarkar broke the 180-run stand.

Lokesh Rahul, whose 92-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and a six, scored 77. Twenty balls later, he was caught by Mushfiqur Rahim. Rubel Hossain broke the 15-run stand. Kohli, whose 27-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 26. Thirty-four balls later, he was caught by Rubel. Mustafizur Rahman broke the 42-run stand.

Hardik Pandya, who faced a couple of balls, failed to get off the mark. Two dot balls later, he was caught by Sarkar off the bowling of Rahman. Rishabh Pant, whose 41-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and a six, scored 48. Thirty-three balls later, he was caught by Mosaddek. Al Hasan broke the 40-run stand.

Karthik, whose nine-ball innings included a boundary, scored eight. Nineteen balls later, he was caught by Mosaddek. Rahman broke the 21-run stand. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose 33-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 35. Thirteen balls later, he was caught by Al Hasan. Rahman broke the run-a-ball stand.

The eighth-wicket pair put on three. Kumar, who faced three balls, scored a couple. A couple of balls later, Rahim and Rahman ran him out. Mohammed Shami, who faced a couple of balls, scored a run. The next ball, he was dismissed by Rahman. Jasprit Bumrah, who didn’t face a ball, was unbeaten.

Bangladesh conceded 13 extras. India scored 314 for the loss of nine wickets off 50 overs. Mosaddek, who bowled four overs, conceded 32. He was wicketless, as were Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the Bangladesh skipper, who bowled five overs, conceding 36, and Saifuddin, who bowled seven overs, conceding 59.

Sarkar, who bowled half-a-dozen overs, conceded 33. He picked up a wicket, as did Rubel, who bowled eight overs, conceding 48, and Al Hasan, who bowled 10 overs, conceding 41. Rahman bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 59, picking up five wickets.

Iqbal, whose 31-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 22. Fifty-seven balls into the chase, Shami broke the 39-run stand. Sarkar, whose 67-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 33. Thirty-four balls later, he was caught by Kohli. Pandya broke the 35-run stand.

Rahim, whose 23-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 24. Forty-seven balls later, he was caught by Shami. Yuzvendra Singh Chahal broke the 47-run stand. Das, whose 24-ball innings included a six, scored 22. Forty balls later, he was caught by Karthik. Pandya broke the 41-run stand.

Mosaddek wasn’t in seventh heaven, because he scored just three. Sixteen balls later, Bumrah broke the 11-run stand. Al Hasan, whose 74-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries, scored 66. Nine balls later, he was caught by Karthik. Pandya broke the six-run stand.

Rahman, whose run-a-ball innings included five boundaries, scored 36. Fifty-six balls later, Bumrah broke the 66-run stand. Saifuddin, whose 38-ball innings included nine boundaries, scored 51. He was unbeaten.

Mortaza, whose five-ball innings included a six, scored eight. Seven balls later, he was caught by Dhoni. Kumar broke the eighth-wicket stand, which was worth 12. Rubel, whose 11-ball innings included a boundary, scored nine. Twenty-one balls later, Bumrah broke the 29-ball stand. Rahman, who faced a ball, failed to get off the mark. The next ball, Bumrah dismissed him.

India conceded 12 extras. Bangladesh, who were dismissed for 286 off 48 overs, lost by 28 runs. Shami and Kumar bowled nine overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 68, the latter conceded 51.

The leggie, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 50. He picked up a sC(hah)alp. Pandya, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 60. He picked up three wickets. Bumrah bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 55, picking up four scalps.

India became the second team in the tournament to advance to the semi-finals.

  

   

India aren’t K(oh)linical, suffer maidEn(glan)defeat

India made just one change to their playing eleven – Vijay Shankar made way for Rishabh Pant. England made three changes to the eleven that last played the Indians – James Vince, Moeen Ali and David Willey made way for Jason Roy, Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer.

On winning the toss, Morgan, E(oi)ngland’s skipper, chose to bat. Roy, whose 57-ball innings included seven boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 66. A hundred and thirty-three balls into the match, he was caught by substitute Ravindra Jadeja. Kuldeep Yadav broke the 160-run stand.

Jonny Bairstow, the player of the match, scored 111. His 109-ball innings included 10 boundaries and half-a-dozen sixes. Fifty-seven balls later, he was caught by Pant. Mohammed Shami broke the 45-run stand.

Morgan, who faced nine balls, scored just a run. A couple of overs later, he was caught by Kedar Jadhav. Shami broke the two-run stand. Joe Root, whose 54-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 44. Sixty-three balls later, he was caught by Hardik Pandya. Shami broke the 70-run stand.

Jos Buttler, whose eight-ball innings included a boundary and a couple of sixes, scored 20. Seventeen balls later, he was caught by Shami, who broke the 33-run stand. Woakes, whose five-ball innings included a boundary, wasn’t in seventh heaven. Seven balls later, he was caught by Rohit Sharma. Shami broke the nine-run stand.

Ben Stokes, whose 54-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries and three sixes, scored 79. Nine balls later, he was caught by Jadeja. Jasprit Bumrah broke the 17-run stand. Liam Plunkett, who faced four balls, scored just a run. He was unbeaten, as was Archer, who didn’t face a ball.

India conceded eight extras. England scored 337 for the loss of seven wickets off 50 overs. Yuzvendra Singh Chahal and Pandya bowled 10 wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 88, the latter conceded 60.

Yadav and Bumrah bowled 10 overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 72, the latter, whose spell included a maiden, conceded 44. Shami bowled 10 overs, including a maiden. He conceded 69, picking up five scalps.

Lokesh Rahul, who faced nine balls, failed to get off the mark. Fifteen balls into the chase, he was caught by Woakes, who broke the eight-run stand. Virat Kohli, India’s skipper, whose 76-ball innings included seven boundaries, scored 66. A hundred and fifty-five balls later, he was caught by the substitute (Vince). Plunkett broke the 138-run stand.

Sharma, whose 109-ball innings included 15 boundaries, scored 102. Forty-seven balls later, he was caught by Buttler. Woakes broke the 52-run stand. Pant, whose 29-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 32. Three overs later, he was caught by Woakes. Plunkett broke the 28-run stand.

Pandya, whose 33-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 45. Thirty-four balls later, he was caught by Vince. Plunkett broke the 41-run stand. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose 31-ball innings included four boundaries and the only six of the innings, scored 42. He was unbeaten, as was Jadhav, who scored a dozen. His 13-ball innings included a boundary.

England conceded seven extras. The Indians, who scored 306 for the loss of five wickets off 50 overs, lost by 31 runs. Stokes, who bowled four overs, conceded 34. He was wicketless, as was Adil Rashid, who bowled half-a-dozen overs, conceding 40.

Mark Wood and Archer bowled 10 wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 73, the latter conceded 45. Woakes bowled 10 overs, including three maidens. He conceded 58, picking up a couple of wickets. Plunkett, who bowled 10 overs, conceded 55. He picked up three scalps.