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Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden hailed Team India skipper Rohit Sharma following the side's 70-run win over New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Hayden pointed out how Rohit stayed calm when Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson threatened to take the game away from India with their inspired 181-run partnership.
During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Hayden said (4:07):
"He didn't let the game drift. He didn't panic. India went missing there for half an hour; it was a crazy 30 minutes of wonderful batting by Daryl Mitchell, supported by skipper Kane Williamson. But he didn't let that affect the team. He pulled back his main men. There were two or three wickets back-to-back, and then the tables turned."
Mitchell played a gutsy 134-run knock in the run chase to keep the Kiwis in the hunt. However, India bounced back to successfully defend the 398-run target in the semi-final, courtesy of Mohammed Shami's seven-wicket haul.
"India could have been in trouble" - Anil Kumble on Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson's partnership
During the same discussion, former spinner Anil Kumble suggested that the match would have slipped out of India's hands if Mitchell and Williamson's partnership continued for a few more overs.
Kumble further opined that an asking rate of over 10 is not a daunting one at a venue like the Wankhede Stadium. He added (3:02):
"Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell batted brilliantly. At one stage, if they held on for another eight to nine overs, they still had a chance, and then India could have been in trouble going into the last 10 overs with 100-110 runs, which is quite doable at the Wankhede Stadium. We have seen that on many occasions during the IPL when you have wickets in hand."
India go into the 2023 World Cup final unbeaten, having won 10 matches on the trot in the showpiece event. They will face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and South Africa in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
