India knocked out of Cricket World Cup

Manchester: Underdogs New Zealand upped their game when it mattered the most, as they eliminated favourites India from the 2019 World Cup with an impressive 18-run win in the first semi-final at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground here on Wednesday. Under grey skies, New Zealand pacers shredded India’s strong batting line-up, reducing them to 5/3 before an inspiring century-plus partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni brought them back. With the win, the Kiwis entered their second successive World Cup final, while for India also-it means back-to-back losses at this stage of the quadrennial event. 

Jadeja and Dhoni batted out 17.2 overs to bring India within striking distance of glory, but Trent Boult’s dismissal of the allrounder and Martin Guptill’s direct-hit run-out of Dhoni in the penultimate over-served deal-breaker. To New Zealand’s 239/8, India were bowled out for 221.
The law of averages is considered to be a strong factor in cricket. And in the semifinal, it struck India’s batting. In a rare top-order failure, India lost Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli for a combined three runs. The last time Rohit and Kohli were dismissed for a single-digit score in the same innings was the Champions Trophy final in 2017.