CM – Oct 31, 1987: Chetan Sharma picked the Cricket World Cup first hat trick against the Kiwis – The Statesman
Sharma finished with numbers 10-2-51-3.
The former Indian coach last played for India in 1994 and later became a commentator.
IANS | New Delhi | October 31, 2021 6:21 p.m.
On that day, 34 years ago, Indian Chetan Sharma made history by becoming the first bowler to achieve a World Cup hat-trick. It was also the first time that an Indian had scored a hat-trick in any game format.
The right-arm playmaker pulled off the feat in India’s final group stage match against New Zealand in Nagpur on October 31, 1987 when in the 42nd he fired Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Ewen Chatfield in three successive deliveries at a pivotal moment in the Game.
New Zealand had won the draw and opted to strike first and the game looked competitive with the Kiwis at 182/5 before Sharma’s exploits reached 182/8 and the visitors could only muster 221 / 9 out of their 50 overs.
Sharma finished with numbers 10-2-51-3.
The former Indian coach last played for India in 1994 and later became a commentator.
He played 23 tests and 65 ODIs for India, picking up 61 and 67 wickets respectively. He is now chairman of the selection committee.
Interestingly, India will face New Zealand in the ICC T20 Super-12 World Cup clash later Sunday in Dubai. This is an important game for both teams to win as they respectively lost their previous matches.
