Wednesday 18 / December / 2024
Mumbai [India]: From Ravichandran Ashwin kissing Mohammed Shami's hand to Yuzvendra Chahal visiting the dressing room to congratulate players, emotions were running high in the dressing room after India sealed their place in the World Cup 2023 final after earning a hard-fought victory over New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium.
Head coach Rahul Dravid was all smiles while meeting players after their triumph, in a video posted by BCCI, Dravid was seen embracing Kuldeep Yadav and Shubman Gill.
Batting coach Vikram Rathour shared a warm embrace with star batter Virat Kohli, which became more special as the stalwart had broken Sachin Tendulkar's record of most ODI centuries with a brilliant knock of 117.
Shami who single-handedly ripped apart the Kiwis' batting setup was seen sharing a heartfelt moment with Ashwin. Ashwin shook and then kissed Shami's hand as a gesture of appreciation for Shami's 7 wicket haul in the semis. Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey who was ecstatic after the victory couldn't hold his laughter after hearing Shami's reply "jawab deke aya hu mai".
Shami went on to sign some bats and to add the icing on the cake Yuzvendra Chahal came to meet the players and embraced Virat, pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan warmly.
Kohli shared a few words with his former Royal Challengers Banglaore teammate.
Coming to the match, India opted to bat first and scored 397/4 in their 50 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma (47 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) and Shubman Gill (80 in 66 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) delivered a fine start with a 71-run opening stand.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell stitched up a partnership to pull the Kiwis back into the game. But Shami's seven-wicket haul left the Blackcaps without answers and India went on to register a 70-run victory.
India's opposition for the final is yet to be decided as South Africa and Australia square off in the second semi-final at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
