India Sets 398 Target Against New Zealand: Kohli’s 50th Century, Iyer’s Back-to-Back World Cup Hundreds

In the semi-final of the World Cup based on Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer’s centuries, India has set a target of 398 runs for New Zealand. Winning the toss and choosing to bat on the Wankhede Stadium, the team scored 397 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 50 overs.

Virat Kohli played an inning of 117 runs in 113 balls. He achieved the milestone of his 50th century in ODIs. He has become the batsman with the most centuries in a calendar year in ODIs. Virat surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 centuries. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer made 105 runs in 70 balls. Iyer has consistently scored centuries in the World Cup. Shubman Gill scored 80 runs in 66 balls, and captain Rohit Sharma made 47 runs in 29 balls. New Zealand took 3 wickets swiftly.

Virat’s Virat Record, Breaks the Record of the God of Cricket

Virat Kohli, the great batsman of this generation, has broken another record of his idol Sachin Tendulkar. Virat has broken Sachin’s record of the most centuries in a calendar year in ODIs, achieving another pinnacle in his illustrious career. Kohli has completed his 50th century in ODIs and his 80th century in international cricket. He is the first batsman in the world to achieve the milestone of scoring 50 centuries in ODIs in a calendar year.

In the Powerplay, India batted at a run rate of 8.4, losing just one wicket

India made a quick start in the Powerplay. The team batted at a run rate of 8.4 in the first 10 overs. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored 10 runs in the very first over, putting pressure on New Zealand.

Trent Boult and Tim Southee bowled a short spell until the 5th over. Captain Williamson brought spinner Mitchell Santner into the attack in the sixth over, giving him 11 runs. Trent Boult tried to pull a short-length ball to Rohit but he hit it to the boundary. In the 9th over, Rohit Sharma played a big shot in front of the South team, losing his wicket. He played an inning of 47 runs in 29 balls and shared a partnership of 71 runs with Gill. In the Powerplay, India added 84 runs to the scoreboard.

India-New Zealand semi-final match interesting facts…

• In the current World Cup, 600 sixes have been completed. Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer hit the 600th six of the tournament on Ravindra’s ball.
• Virat Kohli became India’s third-highest run-scorer with more than 600 runs in a single season of the World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar achieved this feat in 2003, and Rohit Sharma did it in 2019.
• In ODI cricket, Virat Kohli has become the third-highest run-scorer, surpassing Australia’s Ricky Ponting. Virat has now left Ponting behind with 13,704 runs in 291 matches. Kohli is behind Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka (14,234 runs) and India’s Sachin Tendulkar (18,426 runs).
• Rohit Sharma hit the third six of this inning, setting a world record for the most sixes in a single day in the World Cup. Rohit now has 50 sixes in the World Cup, breaking the record of West Indies’ Chris Gayle (49 sixes). Rohit achieved this third World Cup, having represented India in the 2015 and 2019 One Day World Cups.
• Rohit Sharma has become the player with the most sixes in the Powerplay in the World Cup. He hit 19 sixes in this World Cup Powerplay. Rohit has now surpassed former Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum’s record, who hit 17 sixes during the Powerplay in the 2015 World Cup.

Team India has won the toss four times in this tournament and has chosen to bat each time, winning all four matches. India defeated England by 100 runs, Sri Lanka by 302 runs, South Africa by 243 runs, and the Netherlands by 160 runs in these matches.

Playing XI For Both Teams:

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (Captain), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Marsh, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (Wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, and Trent Boult.

India and New Zealand will clash for the eighth time in the semi-final and ninth time overall in the World Cup. Both teams have consistently reached the semi-finals in the tournament.

Head-to-Head and Recent Records:

New Zealand has a stronghold in the ODI World Cup. They have played 10 matches between them in the tournament. New Zealand has won 5, while India has won 4. One match remained undecided due to rain in 2019.

The last encounter between the two teams was in the 21st league match of this World Cup, held in Dharamshala. India won that match by 4 wickets.

India and New Zealand have faced each other 117 times in ODIs. India has won 59 matches, and New Zealand has won 50. Seven matches ended in a tie, with one match being inconclusive.