On This Day in 2019: Jadeja almost wins India the Cricket World Cup semifinal against New Zealand

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On July 10, 2019, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gave Team India some hope of reaching a ODI World Cup final despite a disastrous start from the top five batters against New Zealand in the first semifinal of the 2019 World Cup.

Reduced to 92/6 in 30.3 overs in their run chase of 240 against New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester, Jadeja shared a seventh-wicket stand with Mahendra Singh Dhoni to take India within touching distance of qualifying for their fourth World Cup final.

Walking out to bat after Hardik Pandya was dismissed for 32, Jadeja smashed his way to a 59-ball 77, but his knock went in vain as India fell short of the target by 21 runs.

Opting to bat first on the originally scheduled date of July 9, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor scored fifties, but New Zealand were only able to score 211 for 5 in 46.1 overs before rain forced the match to resume on the reserve day (July 10).

The Kiwis were only able to add another 28 runs from the remaining 23 balls to set a target of 240. For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the bowlers, having ended with figures of 3 for 43 in 10 overs. Jadeja also played a crucial role, conceding just 34 runs for 1 wicket in 10 overs.

In the run chase, India got off to a shocker after Trent Boult and Matt Henry combined to remove the top three - Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli with just five runs on the board in the first four overs.

Five overs later, Dinesh Karthik fell to Henry with just 24 runs on the board before Hardik and Rishabh Pant scored fighting 30s, but the duo could not take the score past 100. At 71 for 5, MS Dhoni walked in to join Pandya, who departed at 92 for 6, leading to the Jadeja-Dhoni stand.

Jadeja and Dhoni took the attack to the Kiwi bowlers as the former smashed 4 fours and 4 sixes during his knock of 77, which took India to 208 before his departure, while the former captain Dhoni, who was run out for 50, scored a boundary and a maximum in his knock.