India had the largest number of travelling fans in England; New Zealand's commentators seemed to know their supporters in the crowd by name
There is something deliciously attractive about the underdogs surprising the potential champions, given that kind of disparity. It is what makes sport. The post mortems will start in India. Perhaps heads will roll, and players retire.
Unintelligent
India didn't play badly, just unintelligently. Two terrific deliveries removed the two best batsman, Rohit Sharma (he had scored five centuries before this match) and Virat Kohli (the best in the world), and the match was effectively over in the first half a dozen overs.
Yet, India did well to stay in the game till the 48th over when Ravindra Jadeja finally succumbed. A largely defensive Mahendra Dhoni was brilliantly run out in the next - did he leave it until it was too late? - and that was that.
Dhoni made 32 (off 45 balls) in the 116-run partnership with Jadeja (77 off 59), but it involved 20 dot balls and the occasional Test-match style leave outside the off stump. It is doubtful if he could have carried India through when they needed 37 from the last three overs. This was a match that New Zealand won, not one that India lost.
Williamson read the wicket well, and what had looked like unadventurous batting was actually the ideal approach on it. Still, 240 ought to have been within India's range. Fast bowlers Matt Henry and Trent Boult made sure it fell outside, with left arm spinner Mitch Santaner picking up the young Turks in the middle order completing the rout.
Teams that win World Cups grow through the course of the tournament. Somehow India didn't seem to.Posted on July 13, 2019
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