By: Rhythm Saluja
November 14, 2023 at 12:51 PM
On November 15, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India and New Zealand will square off in the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023. India and New Zealand will play one another in the World Cup knockout round for the second time in two editions.
The Blackcaps got off to a strong start, defeating Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and England in their first four league-stage games. However, they then suffered four straight losses—to Pakistan, Australia, India, and South Africa. They did, however, defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets to advance to the semifinals.
However, India has won all nine of their matches in the World Cup, and by huge margins. India was the first team to reach the semifinals, even defeating New Zealand by four wickets in the league stage.
However, New Zealand has prevailed over India in ICC tournament knockout games; their defeat to India in the 2019 World Cup semifinal is perhaps the most well-known example of this. However, this time there are certain differences in the players, the venue, and the form.
Here are the 3 Player battles to watch out for in the IND v NZ 1st semi final:
The captain of New Zealand, Kane Williamson, and the in-form bowler Mohammad Shami of India will square off in a heated semi-final match. This will be Shami's first encounter in an ODI World Cup knockout match as he did not participate in the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
Due to a fractured thumb and subsequent knee injury, Kane Williamson has only participated in three World Cup games. However, in those matches, he had scores of 78*, 95, and 14. However, after being added to the starting lineup following Hardik Pandya's injury, Shami has taken 16 wickets at an average of 12 and an economy of 4.78 with two fifers. Shami was benched for the first four matches.
Williamson has been bowled twice by Shami in One-Day Internationals, but the Kiwi captain has still scored 71 runs in 91 balls against the Indian pacer. The previous time India played in Mumbai for the World Cup, they faced Sri Lanka, and Shami won 5/18 to thrash them for 55 runs, so it gives him the upper hand.
In the match against NZ, Rohit was dismissed LBW for one run off Matt Henry in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, and despite the best efforts of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, India lost. In that game, Trent Boult took both Virat Kohli's and Jadeja's wickets.
Rohit Sharma, in the ICC World Cup 2023 has scored 503 runs at a strike rate of 121.49, including a century and three fifties. He scored 46 runs in 40 balls, including four fours and four sixes, against New Zealand in Dharamshala, while Trent Boult got smashed for 60 runs for one wicket. Boult has taken 13 wickets overall with the best of 3/37 in nine games.
In the head-to-head match, Rohit Sharma smashed 13 fours and a sixes in 107 runs off 156 balls against Boult. Boult has removed Rohit from the game four times, so on November 15 in Mumbai, this matchup will be incredible.
Virat Kohli has struggled against left-arm spinners, and Mitchell Santner of New Zealand has often silenced him in one-day internationals. With four fours and two sixes in 15 innings, Kohli has scored just 164 runs off Santner's 238 balls, good for three wickets in one-day internationals.
Santner, who has 16 wickets in nine matches with a best of 6/59 in this ICC World Cup 2023, will face a different Kohli when the two teams play in the first semi-final in Mumbai. In nine innings, Kohli has scored 594 runs with a best score of 103*, two hundreds, and five fifties. His average is 99 and his strike rate is 88.52.
Santner might be useful to keep Kohli quiet if New Zealand is asked to bowl first or if Mumbai's wicket has demonstrated that it can be a hard one. Anticipate a thrilling match at the location where India won the World Cup in 2011. The team's goal is to win and advance closer to the trophy.
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