Kiwis lie in wait after stunning India
Martin’s superb throw to run out Dhoni sends Black Caps into final
IF YOU could take away one moment from this gripping semi-final, it was the sight of team-mates rushing to envelope Martin Guptill after he ran out MS Dhoni.
In the context of the game it was as key – with Dhoni winding up a trademark finish having just hit a six off the first ball of the penultimate over and with his side needing 24 off 10 – as it was brilliant.
Racing in from deep square leg as Dhoni hurtled back in search of a second, Guptill arrowed it in from 35 yards, the ball arriving flat and hitting the stump inches before the former captain’s bat arrived.
It was a moment that encapsulated New Zealand’s team spirit, which helped them to an 18-run win and landed them in a second consecutive World Cup final.
“We all know the game is a fine line,” said Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson. “We’ve seen Dhoni finish games, so to dismiss him for a direct-hit run-out was a big moment.”
Guptill had been a shadow of the man who was leading scorer with 541 runs in the last World Cup in 2015. His brilliance yesterday provided the perfect demonstration of how one moment can reset fortunes in sport.
Williamson’s men had pushed a modest 211-5 from a rain-affected first day to 239-8 in the final 23 balls yesterday morning. Their new-ball bowling from Trent Boult and Matt Henry shattered India to 24-4 after 10 overs.
Dhoni and Ravi Jadeja raised hopes after the spinner entered the fray at 92-6. Their 116-run partnership for the seventh wicket was enough to drag New Zealand’s nerves towards the shredder. But Guptill was lurking.
India captain Virat Kohli was magnanimous even if his dismissal lbw to Boult prompted much head-shaking. “The game changed in those first 40 minutes when we were batting,” he said. “New Zealand put on a great display.”