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Three frustrating things about the India New Zealand World Cup 2023 Match

India have finally recorded a victory against New Zealand in a ICC Championship tournament but here are three frustrating things (ordered from the most frustrating to the least) which I observed in our victory:

1. Throwing away starts: Shubman Gill's unnecessary swipe at a wide delivery, Shreyas Iyer's mistimed pull and Suryakumar Yadav's frantic runout could have cost us this match if New Zealand had more runs on the board. Team management should urge players to put a higher price on their wickets. Just forsake the sizzle for the substance and don't throw away a solid platform at the cost of making a statement.

2. Bumrah's fielding: Bumrah's bowling is world class but his fielding left a lot to be desired today. The dropped catch of Daryl Mitchell might have cost us at least 50 runs. That coupled with the fact that he was always one step slower on the field makes me wonder about his fitness and his presence of mind. The fielding coach needs to have a chat with him as such a lackluster fielding performance can bring the entire team down.

Bumrah's dropped catch
Bumrah's dropped catch went for a boundary <Courtesy: Cric7 Videos>

3. Virat's hunt for the elusive 49: There's no denying the fact that Kohli played a major role in the chase today but with the target in his sights his refusal to take singles in order to get to his 49th ODI century baffled me. If the target was a wee bit higher, his untimely wicket could have most certainly triggered a collapse. When you play a top team all personal goals take a lower priority to getting over the line. This point has to be decisively underlined while evaluating his performance. 

I am no expert at cricket but this is coming straight from a fan's heart.

Until Next Time,

Your fellow sport lover,
Chaitanya J.J.

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