It will be like a flashback for cricket fans as the Indian cricket team will play against the New Zealand side in the semi-final of the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup.
The two teams also crossed paths in the semi-final of the 2019 edition and New Zealand emerged victorious by 18 runs. Playing at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, the Men in Blue would be hoping for a different result from the last time.
Rahul Dravid’s men have shown tremendous performance in the ODI World Cup so far as they are unbeatable. The team is currently running on a winning streak of nine matches and they topped the points table with a total of 18 points.
Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the tournament while Jaspirt Bumrah is the one leading with the ball for India with 17 wickets in nine matches. With Hardik Pandya injured and thus unavailable, India might lack a proper sixth bowling option but the game against the Netherlands saw Kohli and Rohit trying their hands at the ball and picking a wicket each.
As far as New Zealand is concerned, they have had a difficult journey with highs and lows. The team finished fourth in the points table with five wins and four losses. The Kiwis have not been in the best shape lately as they won only one of their last five league games in the ODI World Cup after winning the first four matches.
New Zealand might lack momentum and confidence in the game against India but the leadership group of Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Tim Southee, and Mitchell Santner would look to use their experience on Wednesday.
What has happened so far?
In the league round of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, India and New Zealand experienced contrasting rides. The hosts had an easy entry in the playoffs as they won all their games with their last victory coming against the Netherlands by a massive 160 runs.
Like India, New Zealand started with four consecutive wins against defending champions England, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before the juggernaut collapsed against India. The Kiwis then had to struggle as they lost their four consecutive games on the bounce against India, Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan.
However, they finally made up for their poor performance with a five-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the final league match. It was a good bowling performance by the Kiwis as they restricted Lanka to a score of 171 runs in the allotted 50 overs and Williamson would be expecting Boult to be at the top of his game in the absence of Matt Henry.
Head to Head Record
India and New Zealand have given a tough fight to each other in the 50-over format. The two teams have locked horns with each other in a total of 117 ODIs so far. India is leading the esteemed record with 59 wins while New Zealand has scored a win in 50 matches. Seven games between the two teams ended without a result and one game resulted in a tie.
India and New Zealand also faced each other in the league round of the ICC World Cup 2023 and the former emerged victorious by defeating Kiwis by four wickets.
Key Players
Rohit Sharma (India): The skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to lead from the front as his team will be up against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2019. Sharma has been enjoying a golden form with the bat in the tournament as he has scored some quick runs for India and ensured a good start in almost all the games.
Rohit Sharma is the second-highest run-getter for India in the tournament
In terms of scoring runs for India, Rohit is just behind Virat Kohli with 503 runs to his name at an average of over 55 and a strike rate of over 121. He smacked a total of one century and three fifties in the league round and is likely to churn out another spectacular performance. The 36-year-old will be the key to India’s winning on Wednesday.
Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): Rachin Ravindra has been the star performer for the New Zealand cricket team with both the bat and ball. The 23-year-old emerged as an underdog for the 2021 World Test Champions. He is currently the top run-scorer for the Kiwis and third in the overall list after Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock with 565 runs in nine matches at an average of over 70.
Ravindra contributed during New Zealand’s last game against Sri Lanka as well. In the do-or-die match, the 23-year-old picked two wickets at an impressive economy rate of 2.7. He also helped his team chase the score of 172 runs in the allotted 50 overs by scoring 42 runs off just 34 balls. The all-rounder is expected to continue his exploits and help his team win another important game on Wednesday.
Predicted XIs
India: Rohit Sharma ©, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson ©, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Prediction
It will be a clash to watch out for as India will take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. India has had a tremendous run in the tournament so far displaying stunning performances in all the departments and is expected to maintain its winning streak on Wednesday as well.
Despite having momentum and being the favorites, the Men in Blue can get good competition from the New Zealand cricket team considering the latter’s record against India in the playoff games. The Kiwis defeated India in the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup 2023 and the same might haunt Rohit Sharma’s men in Mumbai.