India’s spin web stifles New Zealand as they defend 249 for sixth consecutive win. Rohit & Co. secured their sixth straight victory against a recent bogey team, New Zealand, by successfully defending 249 runs. Adding Varun Chakravarthy to their three-spinner attack proved a masterstroke, as he delivered a five-wicket haul at a venue where a poor outing against Pakistan in 2022 had derailed his international career.

By topping their group, India set up a semi-final showdown with Australia on Tuesday, while New Zealand and South Africa will return to Pakistan for their semi-final on Wednesday.

The match had an old-school ODI feel, with the new ball offering seam and swing early on before the pitch gradually slowed down and provided increasing grip. The absence of significant dew made batting progressively tougher, resulting in Shreyas Iyer’s slowest fifty and Kane Williamson’s slowest innings of 80 or more.

Despite Williamson’s resistance and some lucky breaks for New Zealand, India’s relentless spin attack eventually cracked the opposition. Ravindra Jadeja triggered the collapse by trapping Tom Latham lbw on a reverse sweep in the 33rd over. India bowled 29 of the 30 middle overs with spin, finishing with 37.3 overs of spin in total for nine wickets while conceding just 166 runs. This was a stark contrast to their earlier matches, where their spinners had been less effective than the opposition. As it turned out, bowling first had previously made the ball grip less than it did in the second innings, proving that conditions played a crucial role.

Henry’s Five-For Puts India on the Back Foot Before Iyer and Axar Stabilize

New Zealand effectively restricted India with their seam attack, as Matt Henry claimed a five-wicket haul while their spinners bowled 25 overs for just 128 runs and two wickets. Henry was clinical with his movement off the pitch, while Kyle Jamieson found swing, reducing India to 30 for 3 in no time. Glenn Phillips added to the early damage with a stunning catch to dismiss Virat Kohli.

Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel then steadied the innings with composed, old-school ODI batting. They went 51 balls without a boundary but avoided rash strokes. Iyer shifted gears from 12 off 29 to 27 off 35 before retreating into caution again, only opening up after facing 63 deliveries. Axar continued to strengthen his case as a genuine all-rounder with a composed 42 off 61 in a crucial 98-run partnership.

Despite Iyer eventually falling to a well-directed bouncer from Will O’Rourke in the 37th over, India managed to push towards a competitive total. KL Rahul contributed 23 off 29, while Hardik Pandya’s aggressive 45 off 45—strategically refusing singles when batting with the tail—ensured India had a challenging score on the board.

Pandya Strikes Early Before Varun’s Mystery Spin Baffles New Zealand

Hardik Pandya seamlessly stepped in as a reliable new-ball option in place of Harshit Rana, extracting movement in his very first over. He soon made an impact, dismissing Rachin Ravindra with a well-directed delivery that induced an upper-cut.

With the early breakthrough secured, India quickly turned to spin, and it became evident that New Zealand’s batters were struggling to pick Varun Chakravarthy. Before this match, they had collectively faced just 34 deliveries from him across all T20Is and the IPL, making his mystery spin even harder to decipher.

Kuldeep Strikes as New Zealand Crumble Under Pressure

Will Young, a crucial performer in New Zealand’s Test series whitewash of India, was the first to misread a wrong’un off the pitch and pay the price. Daryl Mitchell, too, looked completely unsettled as India’s spinners tightened the noose. By the 23rd over, the required run rate had climbed to six, with New Zealand managing only occasional singles and capitalizing on rare loose deliveries. The question wasn’t if they would take a risk, but how long they could avoid one.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Kuldeep Yadav delivered a textbook left-arm wrist-spinner’s dismissal to trap Mitchell lbw. The ball spun past Mitchell’s inside edge by an alarming margin for an international batter. To make matters worse, he burned a review in the process—one that would later prove costly when Michael Bracewell was denied a potential reprieve.

Jadeja and Varun Trigger Collapse After Williamson-Latham Stand

New Zealand’s most fluent phase came during a 40-run partnership between Kane Williamson and Tom Latham, with Latham’s sweeps and Williamson’s elegant inside-out strokes providing much-needed momentum. By the 30-over mark, they had reached exactly half their target with seven wickets in hand, seemingly well-placed to push ahead.

However, Ravindra Jadeja changed the game’s course, producing a perfect delivery from around the wicket that turned past Latham’s reverse sweep, pitching on and spinning just enough to crash into the stumps.

With Latham gone, the chase now rested almost entirely on Williamson’s shoulders. But Varun Chakravarthy soon made even that task nearly impossible. Glenn Phillips, who had just dispatched Varun for a six, misjudged an in-drifting half-volley and paid the price. Moments later, a key dismissal followed, swinging the match decisively in India’s favor.

Varun’s Mystery Variations Seal India’s Dominance

Video analysis had previously suggested that Varun Chakravarthy’s wrong’uns were delivered with a scrambled seam, while his leg-breaks had a straight, tilted seam towards slip. However, he added an extra layer of deception by dismissing Michael Bracewell with a leg-break bowled with a scrambled seam, presenting batters and analysts with a fresh challenge.

Kane Williamson, perhaps mindful of New Zealand having only one review left, opted against challenging his dismissal—only for the ball-tracking to later reveal it hadn’t turned enough to hit the stumps. Despite being dropped on 17 and 68, Williamson couldn’t make India pay the ultimate price, eventually falling to Axar Patel’s final delivery. With the required run rate climbing to nine per over, Williamson was forced into taking a risk, only to walk past a straight ball and lose his wicket.

Mitchell Santner briefly delayed the inevitable, but Varun’s variations proved too much. He castled Santner with a medium-pace cross-seam delivery at 113 km/h that crashed into off-stump. With four balls left to claim a five-for, he needed just two—finishing his spell in style as Matt Henry’s attempt to hit out resulted in another dismissal.

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