Indian spinners left no chance for the New Zealand batters to chase down a target of 250 runs in the Dubai Cricket Stadium as India won the final match of the group stage by margin of 44 runs.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s brilliance with the ball:
Varun Chakaravarthy who was playing his first match of the tournament bowled an impressive spell of 5/42 in 10 overs, leading the bowling charge for his team. This match was also Varun’s first match in an ICC ODI tournament as he replaced fast bowler Harshit Rana but he made sure to leave his mark as he completed the fifer taking the last wicket. He also got the Player of the Match award for his match-winning performance.
Semi-final Fixtures:
This match between India and New Zealand despite being the last match of the group stage was a crucial match as it was to determine the semi-final fixtures for the championship. Topper of Group A is to face the team positioned second in Group B and the team positioned second in Group A will face the topper of Group B. The fixtures now stand as:
Semi Final 1: IND vs AUS, 4th March, Dubai
Semi Final 2: NZ vs SA, 5th March, Lahore
Semi-final Challenge for India:
Just one day between India’s last match and the semi-final will be a tough situation for the team as the players might not get enough rest and enough time to prepare for the knock-out match. Indian players will try make sure to prepare well as they face the mighty Australians on Tuesday.
