Last Update on: November 15th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
India take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Mumbai on November 15. This is a rematch of the two teams from the 2019 World Cup semi-final in many ways. The Men in Blue have already defeated the Kiwis earlier in the tournament.
India are on a nine-match winning streak and can make it to 10 wins on the trot if they beat the Kiwis in Mumbai. They also have an opportunity to avenge their 2019 semi-final defeat against the same team.
India won their previous game against the Netherlands on November 12. They scored 410/5 with all their batters getting runs. The Indian bowlers then bowled out the Dutch for 250 winning the game by 160 runs.
Heading into this game, the Indian team are almost the favorite to win the contest. Former cricket experts are saying that this is India’s best chance to win their third World Cup at home and end their decade-long trophy drought.
The Men in Blue are also under pressure as well. Previously they lost in back-to-back semi-finals in 2015 and 2019. With the World Cup at home, there is an added anticipation from the players that they will win against the Kiwis and advance through to the final and hopefully bring the cup home.
Also Read: IND Vs NZ: Rohit Sharma Creates History And Equals Sachin Tendulkar Against Netherlands
Cricket experts are also saying that several players from this Indian team are at the peak of their careers at the moment and hence the expectations from the fans make complete sense. The Indian team have played the same side since the league match against New Zealand in Dharamsala. With Hardik Pandya out of the tournament, they are expected to stick with the same side.
India Playing 11 vs New Zealand – ICC World Cup 2023, Semi-Final 1
Rohit Sharma (C)
Rohit will open the batting. He has already scored over 500 runs in the tournament so far and will get a chance to add to his tally. The Indian captain scored 61 off 54 against the Dutch and will look to give his team a bright start.
Shubman Gill
Gill will open the batting with Rohit. The pair has batted well together. The youngster scored 51 off 32 balls against the Netherlands and has scored 270 runs in seven matches so far with a best of 92.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli will bat at three. He is the top run-getter at the end of the league stage with 594 runs in nine matches at an average of 99.00. Kohli is one short of 50 ODI hundreds. He has scored two hundreds so far in this tournament.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has been a revelation at number four for India. He has scored 421 runs at an average of 70.17 including his career-best against the Netherlands. Iyer also has scored three fifties so far and 79 shy from 500 runs in the World Cup.
KL Rahul (WK)
Rahul will slot in at five. He too scored his first ODI ton of this World Cup against the Netherlands. So far, he has scored 347 runs in nine games and has been India’s main pillar in the middle-order.
Suryakumar Yadav
SKY will slot in at six. He replaced Hardik Pandya in the XI and since then has played every game. Surya has scored 87 runs so far from five games at an average of 21.75 and a strike rate of 120.
Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja will slot in at seven. He has taken 16 wickets from nine games at an average of 18.25 and played some handy cameos with the bat.
Jasprit Bumrah
Bmrah will lead the Indian pace attack. He has taken 17 wickets in nine matches at an average of 15.65 including a four-fer. He took 19 wickets in the last World Cup.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Siraj
Siraj will hold onto his place despite being the most expensive of the lot. In this World Cup so far, he has picked up 12 wickets at an average of 28.83 and an economy rate close to 6.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep concludes India’s likely playing XI for the semi-final against New Zealand. He has picked up 14 wickets in nine matches at an average of 22.29.
Also Read: IND Vs NZ: Rahul Dravid Issues Massive Warning To New Zealand
