World Cup 2023 Semi-Final: Bharat Clinches a Tough Win at Wankhede

The World Cup 2023 Semi-Final match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, was a star-studded affair as celebrities and fans from all over the world came to cheer for their favourite team at this high-stakes game. Among those present were football legend David Beckham, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, film stars Rajinikanth, Anushka Sharma, Ranbir Kapoor, and many others. Millions streamed in to watch the men in blue as they took on the Kiwis to get one step closer to the dream of over a billion Bharatiya people.

Skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first before walking onto the pitch with Shubhman Gill, with the intense pressure of the World Cup 2023 semi-final on his shoulders. The pair provided another great start to the team as Sharma went ballistic on the New Zealand bowlers, dealing in only fours and sixes. He was eventually caught on 47, but Gill continued the attack with Virat Kohli on the other end. However, the humid Mumbai weather hit Gill hard as he faced severe cramps and retired hurt after hitting an impressive half-century.

Kohli expectedly batted responsibly but kept the scoreboard ticking, with the in-form Shreyas Iyer on the other end. Virat himself started getting cramps after hitting his own half-century but fought through the pain. He eventually reached his historic 50th ODI hundred, surpassing Tendulkar’s legendary record as the entire stadium erupted in celebration. He was soon caught on 117, but Iyer continued the onslaught and soon reached his own hundred as well before getting out and playing a big hit. Bharat eventually set a massive target of 398 for New Zealand.

In response, their openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra succumbed to pressure as Bharat’s star pacer Mohammad Shami trapped both of them in quick successions. However, captain Kane Williamson held his nerves in this World Cup 2023 semi-final as he and Daryl Mitchell took the attack on Bumrah and Siraj and got the runs flowing. It looked like the match was slipping away from Bharat’s grip as Williamson and Mitchell both reached promising half-centuries. Shami came to the rescue again and got Williamson out on 69, and soon trapped Tom Latham as well.

Shami single-handedly dismissed the entire top order and most of the middle order as he eventually got Mitchell as well, who scored an excellent 134 runs. In the end, Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Siraj joined in the act by chocking New Zealand’s chase, which ended on 327 runs, even as Shami stormed the match with his 7-wicket haul. He now has the highest number of wickets in this tournament (23 wickets in just 6 matches).

Bharat has now become the first finalist of the World Cup 2023 and will face their rivals in Ahmedabad on November 19.

Images source: AP