IND vs NZ: Ravi Shastri Recalls MS Dhoni's Valuable Wisdom After Losing To New Zealand In The 2011 World Cup

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri recounted legendary skipper MS Dhoni’s wisdom during the 21st match of the ICC World Cup 2023. Ravi Shastri recalled MS Dhoni’s statement after losing to New Zealand in a group stage match during the 2011 World Cup.

The Rohit Sharma-led team is currently facing the Tom Latham-led side in their fifth match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, October 22. New Zealand emerged as victors when the two teams met in the ODI World Cup in 2019.

In 2011 India Lost One Game – Ravi Shastri

Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the India-New Zealand match, Ravi Shastri recounted MS Dhoni’s wisdom when the captain noted the importance of occasionally losing a game in the league format of the World Cup.

“In 2011 India lost one game. And that was a league game to New Zealand, but they went on to win the World Cup. I remember MS Dhoni when he was the captain said once, ‘You know, sometimes in the league format (in World Cup), it’s good to lose one game, you know, because you know, you don’t want to be suddenly caught in a semi-final or final where you want everything and then you get the shivers,'” Shastri recalled.

MS Dhoni led the Indian team to the second title in the ODI World Cup in front of a home crowd in the 2011 edition. During the group stage, India lost only one match in Group A, winning four out of five games. India emerged victorious by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.

Dhoni is the only captain to achieve victory in all three major ICC limited-overs events. He contributed 50 runs from 72 balls during the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand, which was his last international appearance for India as he retired from his career in 2020.

India vs New Zealand Playing XI

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

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