New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted that India controlled the middle phase better after suffering a 44-run loss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the ongoing Champions Trophy on Sunday.
India posted a fighting score of 249 runs on the board after Santner put them into bat. Shreyas Iyer scored a vital knock of 79 runs whereas Axar Patel added 42 and the duo steadied the ship with a 98-run alliance after India lost three early wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli in the Powerplay overs.
Hardik Pandya added the finishing touches as he scored a run-a-ball 45 to take India close to 250.
On the other hand, New Zealand kept losing wickets in the middle overs as the Indian spinners strangled them. Varun Chakravarthy, playing only his second ODI, returned with impressive figures of 5-42. The mystery spinner was right on the money in the middle phase and breathed down the neck of the Blackcaps.
Kane Williamson top-scored with 81 but none of the other batters could show much resistance against the quality Indian spin attack.
Mitchell Santner said in the post-match presentation, “It was a slower wicket than what we have come against. We knew that going in. India controlled the middle phase better. Shreyas played a great knock that was finished off well by Hardik. It spun a bit more than we thought, and they squeezed us well with four quality spinners. The key for us was getting wickets in the powerplay, and that was good to see. Our next game is in Lahore where Henry will be massive.”
On facing South Africa in the semifinal, Santner said, “On those wickets with some pace and bounce, they have four good pacers so we will have to see how we play them. We have to wait and see if it is a used surface or a fresh one.”
New Zealand will take on South Africa in the second semifinal at Lahore on Wednesday.
