Former Indian opener, Gautam Gambhir feels that New Zealand deserved the tag becoming the ODI world champions and should have been declared joint winners alongside England in 2019. New Zealand finished fourth in the league stage and then defeated the hot favorites India in a semi-final that was stretched over two days due to inclement weather.

In a dramatic final at Lord’s in 2019, England was announced as the winner on boundary counts after the two sides ended on level terms despite a Super Over. That finish triggered a raging debate over the logic of choosing a winner based on boundary leading to a radical change. Now, there’s provision for multiple Super Overs till the time one side emerges a clear winner.

It was the second straight occasion that New Zealand finished as runners-up after losing in the final of World Cup 2015 against Australia.

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During a chat with Star Sports’ Cricket Connected, Gambhir said, “There should have been joint World Cup winners last time around. They (New Zealand) should have gotten that tag of being World Champions, but it was unfortunate.”

Gambhir praised the Kane Williamson and his men for playing some consistent cricket in ODIs and felt that they have been competitive in every condition.

Former Indian opener sais, “If you see their overall record, they have been very consistent. For the last one World Cup, and the World Cup before that, they were the runners-up and they have been very consistent. I think they have been very competitive in every condition they have played. We don’t give them enough credit.”

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Currently, New Zealand is ranked third in ODIs behind India at second and world champion England at the top.