Dubai, March 2 After restricting India to 249/9 in the 2025 Champions Trophy Group A game by picking his third five-wicket haul in ODIs on Sunday, New Zealand seamer Matt Henry said his team’s key intention was to put pressure on the destructive batters in the Rohit Sharma-led side.
On a slow pitch at the Dubai International Stadium, Henry stood tall yet again to pick 5-42 in his eight overs at an economy rate of 5.2. Henry rocked India in the first power-play by taking out Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, before dismissing Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami in the back end of the innings.
“The way we came here and exposed the surface early and put India under pressure. Happy with the total but big job to do. There was little bit there with the new ball. We created pressure and took wickets with the new ball. (The plan was to) Put pressure on them as a collective group,” said Henry in the mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.
The seamer now has an impressive record against India in ODIs, taking 21 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 4.48. Only three men – Shane Bond, Richard Hadlee, and Trent Boult - have taken more five-wicket hauls for New Zealand than Henry.
“They have got some destructive batters up top. To put them under pressure was key. There are going to be ebbs and flows on a wicket like these. We need to absorb pressure, if we do that, we have a very good chance,” he added, as New Zealand will now step out to chase 250.
The winner of India-New Zealand Group A clash will face Australia in the semi-final, while the losing team would take on South Africa in the other semi-final. South Africa and Australia had qualified for the semifinals as first and second placed teams respectively in Group B.
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