EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2019 SPORT 17 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Henry’s triple blow stuns the top­order, shatters India’s dream Despite Jadeja’s incredible knock and his gallant century stand with Dhoni, the Men in Blue fall short by 18 runs to crash out in the semifinals K.C. Vijaya Kumar Manchester The bugles were silenced, drums got discarded and dis­ belief reigned. For the Indian fans, a boisterous morning slipped into an afternoon of melancholy despite Ravindra Jadeja’s incredible knock, as New Zealand stunned Virat Kohli’s men in the World Cup semifinal at Old Trafford here on Wednesday. Efficiency trumped flair and Kane Williamson’s men showed that they could win without a snarl. Pursuing New Zealand’s 239 for eight, India finished with 221 in 49.3 overs. Jadeja’s 77 (59b, 4x4, 4x6) was pulse­pound­ ing but it was fated to end in tragedy while the Kiwis snatched an 18­run victory. Modest targets can be tricky and India needed a so­ lid start but, instead, a night­ mare ensued. Rohit Sharma nibbled at a Matt Henry (three for 37) delivery, the edge was grazed, wicket­ keeper Tom Latham caught Gone with the wind: Virat Kohli gives vent to his frustration after getting dismissed cheaply by Trent Boult. * AP with glee and boom, the World Cup’s most prolific was riding the bounce, failed SCOREBOARD INDIA VS NEW ZEALAND batsman departed. to withdraw his bat and Lath­ am found another welcome NEW ZEALAND (7b), Rohit Sharma c Latham b Joy in waves thud into his gloves. India Martin Guptill c Kohli b Bumrah 1 Henry 1 (4b), Virat Kohli lbw b Joy for the Black Caps came five for three and the fires (14b), Henry Nicholls b Jadeja 28 Boult 1 (6b), Rishabh Pant c de in waves. For the addition of raged. (51b, 2x4), Kane Williamson c Grandhomme b Santner 32 (56b, a single run, India lost two Jadeja b Chahal 67 (95b, 6x4), 4x4), Dinesh Karthik c Neesham wickets. Kohli missed some Magic on the turf Ross Taylor run out 74 (90b, b Henry 6 (25b, 1x4), Hardik from Trent Boult as the left­ Rishabh Pant and Dinesh 3x4, 1x6), James Neesham c Pandya c Williamson b Santner armer’s angle was tough to Karthik tried to resist, the Karthik b Pandya 12 (18b, 1x4), 32 (62b, 2x4), M.S. Dhoni run out counter. The speedster then former driving, the latter Colin de Grandhomme c Dhoni b 50 (72b, 1x4, 1x6), Ravindra got one to straighten and stone­walling and going 20 Bhuvneshwar 16 (10b, 2x4), Tom Jadeja c Williamson b Boult 77 Latham c Jadeja b Bhuvneshwar (59b, 4x4, 4x6), Bhuvneshwar Kohli, who tends to shuffle a balls without a run. Karthik 10 (11b), Mitchell Santner (not Kumar b Ferguson 0 (1b), bit more in his initial tenure, then clipped a four off Boult ing Neesham and Henry for eries for the seventh wicket out) 9 (6b, 1x4), Matt Henry c Yuzvendra Chahal c Latham b did that while trying to wrist and just as the initial nerves sixes and the crowd was but New Zealand could not Kohli b Bhuvneshwar 1 (2b), Neesham 5 (5b, 1x4), Jasprit one to the leg­side. The In­ eased, James Neesham sprin­ alive. A stirring act took be denied. Jadeja’s attempt Trent Boult (not out) 3 (3b); Ex- Bumrah (not out) 0 (0b); Extras dian captain missed, the pad kled magic on the turf. Kar­ shape and when Jadeja to clout Boult proved fatal tras (lb-5, w-13): 18; Total (for (lb-3, w-13): 16; Total (in 49.3 got struck and Boult’s appeal thik sliced Henry and as the etched his 50, besides the and Martin Guptill’s sensa­ eight wkts. in 50 overs): 239. overs): 221. bellowed from the pit of his ball raced beyond backward­ usual Rajput twirl of the bat, tional throw left Dhoni FALL OF WICKETS FALL OF WICKETS stomach. Kohli was adjudged point, Neesham dived to his wicket alliance but India was past seven, the pressure was he gesticulated towards the stranded. The rest wilted and 1-1 (Guptill, 3.3 overs), 2-69 1-4 (Rohit, 1.3), 2-5 (Kohli, 2.4), out, he promptly sought a re­ left, and his left hand reflex­ always behind the Duck­ bound to tell. It did emphati­ commentary box, perhaps, David had indeed quelled (Nicholls, 18.2), 3-134 (William- 3-5 (Rahul, 3.1), 4-24 (Karthik, view and though the replays ively darted out and plucked worth­Lewis par score. And cally when Pandya miscued a an admonition to Sanjay Goliath. son, 35.2), 4-162 (Neesham, 9.6), 5-71 (Pant, 22.5), 6-92 hinted that the ball was going a catch for the ages. India 24 then Pant tried to deposit slog­sweep off Santner and a Manjrekar, who recently Earlier, resuming at the 40.6), 5-200 (Grandhomme, (Pandya, 30.3), 7-208 (Jadeja, 47.5), 8-216 (Dhoni, 48.3), 9-217 over the bails, it was an ‘um­ for four in 10 overs and in left­arm spinner Mitchell patient Williamson tumbled made some critical remarks. overnight 211 for five in 46.1 44.4), 6-225 (Taylor, 47.6), 7-225 (Latham, 48.1), 8-232 (Henry, (Bhuvneshwar, 48.6). pire’s call’ decision and the dire straits. Santner over mid­wicket, ex­ and still held on. India 92 for Jadeja rode his luck as a overs, New Zealand added 28 48.6). NEW ZEALAND BOWLING agitated batsman left. The game is a leveller cept that he found Colin de six, down for the count and few shots teased the fielders runs while losing three wick­ INDIA BOWLING Boult 10-2-42-2, Henry 10-1- At five for two, the queasi­ though and when Pant Grandhomme. India 71 for in walks Jadeja with rebel­ but a massive six off Fergu­ ets with Jadeja’s terrific field­ Bhuvneshwar 10-1-43-3, Bumrah 37-3, Ferguson 10-0-43-1, de ness in the Indian dressing flicked Lockie Ferguson, the five in the 23rd over and the lious ideas. son showed that the battle ing accounting for Ross Tay­ 10-1-39-1, Pandya 10-0-55-1, Grandhomme 2-0-13-0, Nee- room worsened as K.L. Ra­ uppish stroke popped out of crowd yearned for a miracle. wasn’t over yet and a hope­ lor (74) and Latham. Still, Jadeja 10-0-34-1, Chahal sham 7.3-0-49-1, Santner 10-2- hul fell to Henry. The deliv­ Neesham’s hands at short M.S. Dhoni (50) and Pan­ Stirring act gifting partnership enthused New Zealand set a challeng­ 10-0-63-1. 34-2. ery hovering near the off­ mid­wicket! Pant and Hardik dya nudged the scoreboard While Dhoni remained calm, the audience. Jadeja and ing target that eventually be­ INDIA Toss: NZ. MoM: Matt Henry. stump rose and Rahul, who Pandya shared a 47­run fifth­ but as the required rate went Jadeja turned aggressor, loft­ Dhoni added 116 off 112 deliv­ came insurmountable. K.L. Rahul c Latham b Henry 1 New Zealand won by 18 runs. Dhoni’s final bow? ‘The game changed in the first 40 minutes’ ‘It wasn’t a 300­wicket, K.C. Vijaya Kumar picked him in your team?” Manchester The New Zealand skipper Kohli ‘proud of the way the team played through the tournament’ 240 or 250 was ideal’ When M.S. Dhoni trudged looked perplexed and coun­ away following a run out at tered: “He is not eligible to K.C. Vijaya Kumar (Hardik) Pandya was com­ SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT dra) Jadeja played was as if Old Trafford here on Wed­ play for New Zealand, isn’t Manchester mendable. In hindsight he Manchester he was playing on a different nesday, a question lingered he?” And when the corres­ India’s batting heart was will learn, he is young. When Kane Williamson often does pitch. It was a brilliant in­ in the press box: “Are we pondent persisted, William­ flung aside in the first 10 ov­ I was young I made many a shy half­smile, not for him nings and India showed seeing him for the last time son praised Dhoni: “He is a ers as New Zealand speed­ mistakes. I am sure he will are the extremes of unbri­ what a class side it is and we in the blue shade?” With world­class player and if I sters Trent Boult and Matt reflect on it and become dled joy or soul­numbing had a very good game of speculation over a probable was the Indian captain I Henry pegged away with stronger.” anguish. After marshalling cricket spilling over two retirement swirling in the would have picked him. His wickets and maidens. Virat Kohli was also satisfied New Zealand well and days. air, it was understandable contribution was excellent. Kohli conceded that the with the run rate that Ravin­ springing a shock­defeat Dhoni’s run out that the former captain Is he looking to change his phase when his team was re­ dra Jadeja and M.S. Dhoni upon India in the World Cup We all know the game is a came up for discussion in nationality? We might con­ duced to five for three and maintained through their semifinals here at Old Traf­ fine line. We have seen the post­match media sider him (grins).” then 24 for four, had reper­ partnership: “The way they ford on Wednesday, the (M.S.) Dhoni finish games interactions.