In Semi-Final 1 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the two-time World Cup winner, India will take on New Zealand tomorrow, November 15, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai at 2 PM IST.
The Men in Blue have had a magical run in the league stage of the competition, having won all nine games and securing the top spot in the standings, but now the real test is on as the side faces their bittersweet rivals, New Zealand. In the league stage, the match was won by the home team by four wickets at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. Nonetheless, NZ were the only side that looked good with the bat against a strong Indian bowling lineup. However, the two-time World Cup winners, with the addition of Mohammad Shami, have changed completely and will aim to give a positive impact right from the word go. Along with Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will also strike attacks on NZ batters in the powerplay, while Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will also try their best in the middle overs. With the bat, Virat Kohli is currently the highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 594 runs at a strike rate of 88.52 and an average of 99. He also scored an impressive 88 at the Wankhede against South Africa, thus carrying additional positivity. Shubman Gill is also consistently providing India with a top start, and with some Mumbaikar flavour in skipper Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav, who are also in magnificent form, the side looks all set to avenge their 2019 World Cup Semi-Final loss.
On the other side, the Kiwis, who won their first four matches, lost their next four and needed a win in their last match to secure a semi-final berth. The side, with or without Kane Williamson, has looked dominant, but at the same time, one needs to know that the side won all their matches against the teams in the bottom half of the points table. With the aim of qualifying for their third WC final in a row, the Kane Williamson-led side will have to deal with a solid Indian bowling unit but to counter them, the likes of Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, the skipper himself, and the in-form batter Rachin Ravindra will be on their toes. Another solid advantage for the side is that the match is happening in Mumbai, where even after a few wickets down, the team can regroup, and even one good partnership can take the side to a respectable score. NZ’s trump card, Trent Boult, who created havoc in the 2019 semi-final match, which is still embedded in each Indian cricket team’s fans, will once again gear up to show a similar skillset. Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, and co. will also want to grab some wickets and be upfront in the game.
Head-to-Head:
India and New Zealand have faced off in 117 ODI cricket matches. Of them, New Zealand prevailed 50 times, while the Men in Blue won 59 games. Seven matches were also washed out, while one game ended in a tie.
In terms of World Cup competition, the two teams have met ten times. India have won four matches, whereas New Zealand have won five. One match also got abandoned.
Where to watch:
TV: Star Sports
OTT: Disney+ Hotstar