Yesterday, India defeated the mighty New Zealand for the first time in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in two decades.
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The high-voltage match between the top two undefeated teams was a fight for the number one position in the points table for the Cricket World Cup 2023 (CWC23). Before yesterday’s match, India and New Zealand were undefeated in all four matches, and the Kiwis were in the number one spot while India was number two. After winning, India is number one in the points table.
India is the only undefeated team in CWC23, having won all five matches on a trot. With this win, India is closing in on a semifinal spot. A team needs to win a minimum of six matches to get a ticket to the semifinals. India is just one step away from sealing the semifinal spot, and India could be the first team to do so in this edition of the Cricket World Cup 2023.
India defeated New Zealand after two decades
The last time India won an ICC match against the mighty New Zealand was 20 years ago, in 2003. It was at the 2003 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup that India managed to register a win against New Zealand. It took India almost 20 years to register a second win against the Blackcaps. India defeated New Zealand (Blackcaps) by four wickets.
Including yesterday’s clash, there have been 14 meetings between the Blackcaps and India, New Zealand managed to win 10 matches, while India was successful in winning just 4. Blackcaps have dominated India in all the ICC events for the last 20 years. Counting yesterday’s clash, the two teams have clashed nine times in the World Cups: the Blackcaps won five, and India four.
New Zealand has become India’s rival, as the Blackcaps have knocked out India several times in knockout stages. The 2019 World Cup semifinal was the most painful moment for Indian cricket fans, as they defeated India by 18 runs. India was one of the favorites to win the 2019 World Cup. The other knockout instance was the World Test Championship final in 2021.
The two teams faced off again in the 2021 World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Blackcaps defeated India to win their WTC trophy in its first edition. The Blackcaps have also dominated in the T20 World Cup. In the T20 World Cup, the Blackcaps won three times, and India has yet to register a win against its rivals.
India’s recent win over the Blackcaps in the World Cup by four wickets has put an end to the 20-year drought for India. India finally tasted a win against the Blackcaps in an ICC event, hence ending the 20-year losing streak.
India tops the points table for the Cricket World Cup
By defeating the Blackcaps on October 22, India has claimed the top spot in the points table of the CWC23 with five wins in five matches. India is the only team to have won all the matches in this edition of the Cricket World Cup. Before the clash, both teams had won all four matches, and the Blackcaps were on top due to a better net run rate (NRR).
India is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and as a host, India’s chances of winning look higher. India has not won an ICC trophy for the last ten years. India last won an ICC trophy in 2013 when the team won the ICC Champions Trophy in England. After 2013, India found itself unable to win any ICC trophies, and this time, India may change that.
