Kane Williamson replies cheekily when asked about MS Dhoni after New Zealand’s victory

New Zealand has every reason to cheer as the team is now through to the final of the 2019 World Cup at the Lord’s on July 14. The Black Caps thumped Virat Kohli’s India by 18 runs at the Old Trafford and are now awaiting the winner of the second semi-final between England and Australia at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. For the Men in Blue, their World Cup dream got shattered on Wednesday.

Moreover, MS Dhoni, one of India’s greatest cricketers, played his last World Cup match if not in his international career. Dhoni, who turned 38 a few days back, scored a half-century, but couldn’t take his team over the line. An incredible direct hit from Martin Guptill accounted for his dismissal. The writing was pretty much on the walls for India after the veteran batter perished.

In the post-match press conference, Kane Williamson, the Kiwis skipper, was asked whether he would’ve picked Dhoni in his playing eleven. “Would you have had Dhoni in your playing eleven?” However, Captain Kane had a cheeky reply in store. He countered the question, saying “He’s not eligible to play for New Zealand.”

Nevertheless, the New Zealand skipper lauded him as a world-class cricketer and reckoned that the contributions he made were of prime importance. “But he’s a world-class player. He is experienced at this level and his contribution throughout this campaign is extremely important,” Williamson added.

Kane standing up at the Old Trafford

As far as the game is concerned, Kane had an incredible outing. Not only did he led his team to glory, but also flourished as a batsman. Having already scored a couple of tons in the tournament, a lot was expected of him and he didn’t disappoint by any stretch of the imagination. After the Black Caps won the toss and elected to bat first, Jasprit Bumrah got rid of opening batsman Martin Guptill.

Thereafter, Williamson came and scored 67 runs off 95 balls with six boundaries. First, he put on 68 with Henry Nicholls and then carried on the good work with a 65-run stand with Ross Taylor, who top scored with 74 off 90. The Kiwis ended up putting 239 on the board, which eventually turned out to be enough.

Question: Would you have had Dhoni in your playing eleven?

Kane Williamson: He’s not eligible to play for New Zealand ????#INDvNZ #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/jKQGp0s06a

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) July 10, 2019