 "Martin Guptill and New Zealand cricketers celebrate the wicket of MS Dhoni during the 2019 ODI World Cup. Reuters")
Former New Zealand cricketer Martin Guptill cheekily recalled a big moment in World Cup history by sharing a story on Instagram. Five years ago today, India endured heartbreak at the 2019 World Cup when they were eliminated by New Zealand in the semi-final.
The match, played on July 9, at Old Trafford in Manchester, was interrupted by rain and resumed the following day.
After Kane Williamson chose to bat and Indian bowlers made early breakthroughs, rain halted play for the day. Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson built a crucial partnership, with Williamson scoring 67 runs to lead New Zealand beyond 100 before play was suspended.
Despite a strong effort from the Indian bowlers, New Zealand managed to reach 239/8.
In their chase, India struggled and found themselves at 24/4 when MS Dhoni walked out to bat. The situation became dire when the Men in Blue slipped to 92/6. A remarkable partnership of 116 runs between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja revived India’s hopes.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHowever, with 25 needed off 10 balls, Dhoni, in an attempt to keep the strike, pushed for a run only to be caught short by Guptill’s direct hit. The run out effectively ended India’s chances of a comeback and dashed any hopes of a win.
India eventually fell short and were all out for 221 in 49.3 overs.
Guptill took to Instagram and posted the now-deleted images with the caption: “Figured out why I am getting so much hate today.”
Last year, the Kiwi batter had said that he still gets hate mails from India.
“Lucky enough to get a direct hit from out there, lucky for us he was out of his ground,” Guptill had said in an ICC video.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni summed up the feelings as, “It’s very difficult to control your emotions when you have lost a close game. Inside, I was planning. To me, that was the last day I played cricket for India. I announced my retirement after a year, but the fact was that day I retired.”
New Zealand’s victory propelled them to the World Cup final for the second consecutive time. There, New Zealand endured heartbreak of their own, losing to England in a thriller.