World Cup: India beat New Zealand by 70 runs to reach final

More from New Zealand captain Kane Williamson:

On partnership with Daryl Mitchell: "It wasn't to be today but it was nice to be out there and give us a chance. You need a lot to go your way if you're chasing a total like that but a fantastic crowd and an unbelievable atmosphere.

"Slightly one-sided in their support but special to be a part of."

On tournament as a whole: "Some incredible contributions throughout and as a team there was a commitment to how we want to play. We whole-heartedly did that.

"Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell were special throughout this campaign on surfaces that varied and, in the second half, were outstanding batting surfaces.

"Bowlers chipped in here and there. There was a lot of fight and I was proud of that. We want to show that in every game, even if like today, it doesn't go our way.

"Ultimately, it is moving forward as a team and some really good steps in the right direction."

India captain Rohit Sharma: "I have played a lot of cricket here so I know with any score on this ground you cannot relax. Get the job done as quickly as possible and stay at. We knew there would be pressure on us at some stage, a partnership. We just had to stay collected. That's what we did. We were very calm even though we were sloppy in the field. That can happen.

"We have had nine perfect games on the field in terms of fielding so these things were bound to happen. I am glad we got the job done in the end. Would 20 or 30 runs fewer have made a difference? It's hard to say that because they wouldn't take as many risks. When the scoring rate is about nine all the time you have to take you chances. Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't.

"We gave them chances they didn't taken them. But credit to them with the batting. Daryl Mitchell and Kane Wiliamson batted brilliantly. For us it was important to stay calm. At one point the crowd went silent but that's the nature of the game. We knew we had to pull something from up our sleeves. A bit of magic. A run out, a catch or a magic delivery. We tried everything and Mohammed Shami was brilliant."

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson: "Firstly, congratulations to India. They've played outstandingly well throughout this competition and perhaps played their best game of the competition today.

"They're a top side at the top of their game. so at the halfway stage, with 400 on the board, it was naturally going to be tough.

"But credit to the guys. Proud effort to stay in the fight and, at the halfway stage of the innings, give ourselves some hope and a bit of a chance.

"A tough game, disappointing to go out in the knockout stages but super proud of the effort that has gone into these seven weeks as a side.

"The effort was there and India are a top-class side with some world class batsmen. They came out and didn't give us a sniff really. If you bat first and get 400 on the board, it's a tick in the batting column and you go out and try to do a job in the second half.

"It was tough out there, the ball swung a lot initially so we had to work pretty hard. But credit to India, they deserve where they are."

For New Zealand, it's another missed opportunity. They played some fantastic cricket - demolishing England in the opener, the agonising five-run defeat by Australia, and pushing India more than any other team has managed in this semi-final and their group stage encounter.

Injuries have played a big part in their campaign, losing Williamson for a few matches before seamer Matt Henry was ruled out. It feels like the end of an era for many players in a wonderful group that have constantly punched above their weight.

But they have also unearthed a star in Rachin Ravindra, who scored three centuries in the tournament and I suspect we will be watching him score many more in the years to come.

All of India's batters look at the peak of the powers. That top five or six, I cannot remember a team who have had all of them in really good form.

Player of the match Mohammed Shami: "I was waiting for my chances. I didn't play a lot of white-ball cricket. My return started against New Zealand in the group stage. We talk a lot of variations, but I still believe in pitching it up and getting wickets with the new ball. I dropped a catch for Kane Williamson, I shouldn't have. I felt terrible. But the focus was to try and take pace off, see if they're hitting it in the air.

"The wicket was very good, lots of runs were scored in the afternoon. There was some fear of dew, the grass had been shaved off from the wicket. If dew was there, it skids on and there's a chance runs could've been made. It feels amazing.

"Last two World Cups, we lost in the semis. Who knows when or if we'll get a chance, so we wanted to do everything for this, one chance we didn't want to let go."

So India weren't at their best but still managed to win by 70 runs, have two batters make centuries and their first-change bowler (who wasn't even starting at the beginning of the tournament) took seven wickets.

Good luck to Australia or South Africa.

India were tested in the field, they didn't bowl as well as we've seen. They almost needed that moment where Rohit Sharma had to grab hold of them as a team.

With plenty of contenders for player of the match, it is awarded to Mohammed Shami for his 7-57.

He has now overtaken Adam Zampa to become the leading wicket-taker at the 2023 World Cup with 23 wickets at an average of 9.13, despite missing the first four games.

He dropped one of the easiest catches you'll see before ultimately turning the game on its head when he got rid of Kane Williamson for 69.

We were deprived of a thrilling finish, but we were treated to some incredible performances.

There were three incredible centuries.

Virat Kohli overtook Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most ODI tons, Shreyas Iyer whacked 105 off 70 balls but spare a thought for Daryl Mitchell, playing an innings of that class in a losing cause.

Mohammed Shami is the first India bowler to take seven wickets in an ODI. He's the fifth bowler in the history of the World Cup to seven.

This India side from when they beat Australia in the first match have looked like an unstoppable juggernaut.

The ever-entertaining Trent Boult strides to the crease in what is probably his last World Cup outing.

Nice easy catch for Rohit Sharma. A wide slower bouncer from Mohammed Siraj and it's a baseball shot from Mitchell Santner.

Hmmm...

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