On his maiden trip to India as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, football legend David Beckham witnessed India’s convincing 70-run win over New Zealand as India entered the finals of ICC World Cup 2023.
Sitting in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai along with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar watched Virat Kohli make history. Beckham cheered for Team India as they smashed 397 for 4 in 50 overs after opting to bat first in the first semi-final against New Zealand.
The former England football captain is on a three-day visit to India for UNICEF and was delighted to witness his first cricket match at the iconic venue.
“I am lucky to witness the history, coming to India for the first time & I came to India at the right time as well – I am so humbled.
“I’ve seen the Diwali, New Year and today I saw Virat Kohli bat and reach his 50th century,” Beckham said on Star Sports after congratulating Kohli on his hundred.
India rode on a world-record hundred from Virat Kohli and a destructive century from Shreyas Iyer to post the highest total in a World Cup knockout match.
Kohli set a new record for the most ODI hundreds with his 50th in the format, while Iyer became only the third Indian to hit back-to-back World Cup centuries.
Kohli top-scored with 117, while Iyer made a quickfire 105 off 70 balls. Opener Shubman Gill (80*) and wicket keeper KL Rahul (39*) also made valuable contributions for the Men in Blue.
With the win over the Kiwis, India entered the final of the World Cup. The Black Caps were bowled out for 327 in their reply to India’s 397. Mohammed Shami (7-57) remained the pick of the Indian bowlers as he dismissed seven New Zealand wickets, an opponent team that had defeated the Men In Blue in the World Cup semi-final in 2019. Two of his wickets came in three deliveries when New Zealand was on 220-2.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)