New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (67) fell to a loose shot off Yuzvendra Chahal, after he and veteran Ross Taylor turned saviours for their team once again as the duo put on a 65-run stand for the third wicket in the World Cup semifinal against India at Old Trafford in Manchester.
The Kiwi skipper seemed to be deceived in flight as he reached out to slash the ball, only to offer a simple looping catch to Ravindra Jadeja at point.
Having won the toss under overcast conditions, Williamson decided to bat first. Of the five World Cup matches played here, all have been won by the teams batting first. The average first innings score at Old Trafford is 323.
But the Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar started brilliantly, with the first two overs being maidens. India, however, lost their review off the first ball off the match, calling for DRS for an LBW shout against Guptill.
The pressure soon got to out-of-form Kiwi opener Martin Guptill, as he edged one to India skipper Virat Kohli at second slip off Bumrah.
Both Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar made full use of the conditions, bowling a tight line and length and not giving away any easy runs. The first boundary for New Zealand came in the eight over.
Williamson and opener Henry Nicholls (28) tried to steady the ship with a 68-run partnership, but Ravindra Jadeja got one to turn into him sharply and castled him in the 19th over.
India made one change in their playing XI, bringing in Yuzvendra Chahal in place of Kuldeep Yadav.
New Zealand brought in a fit-again Lockie Ferguson for Tim Southee in their lineup.
Taylor is batting on 26*, with the score reading 136/3 after 36 overs.
