India Goes Down Fighting in Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals

The Indian challenge in the ICC cricket world cup finally came to an end on Wednesday, as the Men in Blues went down vying for a crucial win against a spirited Kiwis team that posed a tough challenge for India despite scoring 240 in a rain-hit match.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the way team fought till the end.

PM Modi: A disappointing result, but good to see Team India’s fighting spirit till the very end. India batted, bowled, fielded well throughout the tournament, of which we're very proud. Wins & losses are part of life. Best wishes to the team for their future endeavours. #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/T9Et8O7XIA

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2019

India looked in doldrums when the team lost three main batsmen with the likes of Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli for just five runs.

It was a wonderful World Cup campaign for team India, they played brilliantly and can be very proud of the way they fought.
Also many thanks to the Indian fans who were amazing and brought so much passion ,energy and so much life wherever they went. #INDvNZ

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 10, 2019

The Kiwis’ onslaught was visible with its bowlers and fielders building pressure on Indian players with a class performance.

https://twitter.com/CheguFanBlr/status/1148996358881202177

The match seemed fizzling out of India’s grasp around the halfway mark in their innings as they were facing an imminent defeat at 92 for 6 in the 31st over of match itself.

However, Ravindra Jadeja who came a bit lower down the order won deserved immense respect of fans in the audience for his superb rescue act. He went on to score a half-century and a century-stand between him and M.S. Dhoni almost brought India back into the context.

Following India’s loss, fans, former players and celebrities took to social media to sympathise with the Indian players.

Interestingly, Dhoni and Jadeja, who played out of their skins to bring India back from the dead, won a lot of praise.

Though they’re a billion broken hearts tonight, Team India, you put up a great fight and are deserving of our love & respect.

Congratulations to New Zealand on their well earned win, that gives them a place in the World Cup final. #INDvNZ #CWC19

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2019

Never mind team India. You played well in this World Cup. Victory and defeat are integral part of life. Keep up your efforts. Congratulations to the winners

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 10, 2019

After the match, Virat Kohli said:

Team India Captain Virat Kohli: The game pretty much changed in the first 40 minutes when we were batting. New Zealand deserves a lot of credit because they really put up a great display of how to bowl with a new ball & forced us to make errors, if any. #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/XZxS24FQ95

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2019

During his conference, Kohli while talking about Rishabh Pant insisted that the young wicketkeeper-batsman should be given time.

“He (Pant) is an instinctive player and he did well to form that partnership with Hardik. I made many errors earlier in my career and he is young. He will reflect on it and we’ve seen glimpses of his talent,” Virat Kohli said.

The Final Score:
IND221-all out (49.3 Ovs)

NZ239/8 (50.0 Ovs)

New Zealand won by 18 runs

Tomorrow, New Zealand will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and England  in Birmingham in the final at Lord’s on July 14.