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India continued their unbeaten run in World Cup 2023 with a four-wicket win over New Zealand in Dharamsala. However, it was not a clinical win for Rohit Sharma’s men as the fielding was not up to the standards. There were a few dropped catches including one from Ravindra Jadeja who is regarded as the best fielder in the team. However, the fielding fiasco did not affect Rohit as he said that “these things happen”.
“The fielding is something we pride ourselves on. Today the fielding wasn't clinical. Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best fielders in the world. These things happen. We know that fielding is something that will decide a lot of things going forward,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
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Jadeja was the first to drop a catch. Fielding at backward point, he dropped a regulation catch off Mohammed Shami’s bowling to give Rachin Ravindra a second chance. He got both hands to the ball but could not hold on to it. Then, KL Rahul could not attempt a caught-behind of Daryl Mitchell. It was followed by Jasprit Bumrah dropping an easy catch at long-on. Both Rachin and Mitchell shared a crucial partnership to help New Zealand post a fighting total of 273.
Also, there were a few lapses in ground fielding as well. Dharamsala’s outfield is not diving-friendly and it may have come into play as they chased after the ball.
But Jadeja made up for the dropped catch with economical spells and shared a crucial partnership with Virat Kohli to finish off the match. Jadeja remained unbeaten for 39 off 44 deliveries to finish the unfinished business of the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
In the previous encounter against Bangladesh, Jadeja had taken a blinder at backward point diving to his right to dismiss wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim. He was awarded the in-house gold medal for the ‘best fielder’ award.
The four-wicket win over the Kiwis helped India climb to the top spot on the points table. After making it five in a row, India will take on the defending champions England on October 29 at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
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