ODI World Cup 2023: 'Glad to get the job done,' says Rohit after remarkable semifinal win over NZ

India skipper Rohit Sharma could script history on Sunday (Nov 19) after his side entered the ODI World Cup final with a splendid 70-run win over New Zealand in Mumbai. Led by the record-breaking performance of Virat Kohli andMohammed Shami’s aggressive spell, India reduced New Zealand to 327 runs after having set a 398-run target. The win now means India will play either South Africa or Australia in the final on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Rohit reflects after win

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“We were calm even though we were a bit sloppy on the field. These things are bound to happen, glad that we could get the job done. When the scoring rate is above 9, you gotta take chances. They gave us chances, we didn't take them.Mitchell and Williamson batted brilliantly. We had to stay calm. The crowd went silent, that's the nature of the game,” Rohit said after the match.

Having set a target of 398, New Zealand did not have the best startand were reduced to 39/2 before skipper Kane Williamson (69) and Daryl Mitchell (134) brought Kiwis back into the game. Both openers, Rachin Ravindra (13) and Devon Conway (13) departed early leaving plenty of work to be done. However, Mitchell and Williamson then built an 181-run partnership for the third wicket before Shami came back to haunt the Kiwis.

After Williamson’s departure, New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals while Shami enjoyed another stellar outing with the ball. He helpedIndia clean up the tail as New Zealand were bowled out for 327 in a marathon run chase at the Wankhede Stadium. Glenn Phillips showed some resilience with a 41-run knock, but India won the match by 70 runs. Shami ended with figures of 57/7 while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav ended with one wicket each.

“We knew we had to pull something from our sleeves. We tried everything and Shami was brilliant. The top five-six batters, they have made it count. Very pleased with what Iyer has done in this tournament,” Rohit added.

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What happened earlier?

Earlier, India ended their innings with 397/4 as Virat Kohli (117) and Shreyas Iyer (105) led India toa mammoth total. Shubman Gill also remained unbeaten on 80 tillhe retired hurt due to cramps. Kohli scored his record-breaking 50th ODI ton which saw him leapfrog Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49. He also surpassed Sachin’s tally of 673 runs in a single edition of the ODI World Cup and now has 711 runs with a match still to go.

India will now meet the winner of the second semi-final to be played between South Africa and Australia on Thursday (Nov 16) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.