With Awkward IND vs. NZ trivia, Gill Stuns Captain Rohit Sharma
The Indian cricket team has won all four matches of the World Cup 2023 campaign till now, where they have defeated Australia and Bangladesh to be placed second on the points table, but the Men in Blue will be in for their sternest test thus far of the tournament when they take on table-toppers New Zealand in Dharamshala on Sunday. The Kiwis have been a bogey team for India in not just World Cups but ICC events as a whole. India have not beaten New Zealand since the 2003 World Cup, with the Black Caps setting an unprecedented 5-0 winning streak.
Buoyed by their unblemished record in the World Cup so far, captain Rohit Sharma faced an unexpected inquiry from Shubman Gill shortly after India's 7-wicket victory in Pune. The young Indian opener confronted his captain with a query regarding the unwanted record of India against New Zealand, which Rohit clearly wasn't ready for.
Gill: Someone asked me in the press conference that we haven't beaten New Zealand in an ICC tournament since 2003.
Rohit: That's true. But we are playing good cricket, and that's all we can do from our end.
Gill: So, will we definitely end the streak on Sunday?
Rohit: See, we don't play the kind of cricket where we guarantee anything. When we reach the ground, we'll have to do what we are doing as a team. We can't think too far ahead. Yes, we've not had the result in the past, but... (before being interrupted by Gill with another question)
It has indeed been a long wait. The last time India defeated New Zealand at an ICC event was when even Dhoni was yet to make his international debut and Rohit and Virat Kohli were just entering their teenage years. More importantly, the last few matches against New Zealand have all ended in heartbreak for India.