The haunt of the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal is still fresh in every Indian fan’s mind. Every run out since then feels as if it’s MS Dhoni’s run out. The 2-3 against Australia in the first game felt exactly that. However, even after this, one thing that has remained constant is hope. Yes, hope that things will turn around, hope that the winning streak in 2023 ODI World Cup will continue and what not!
Through google, expert analysis and even through this article, the only thing that fans want to know is – Can the tables turn? – Well, let’s find that out.
Head to Head
The numbers certainly back the Kiwis. India and New Zealand have played against each other in ODI World Cup 8 times, out of which 5 have went in favour of Kiwis, while India has managed 3 wins including famous 2003 World Cup win.
Weather & Pitch:
The weather is unlikely to play a spoilsport while the pitch is expected to have seam but still, it should be a good wicket to bat on. Team winning the toss will look to bat first and put some runs on the board.
Team Analysis
India
Last couple of days, the Indian camp has been surrounded by injuries. First Hardik Pandya got injured while bowling third delivery of the game against Bangladesh, ruling him out of the game against New Zealand while Virat Kohli, who is in form of his life was hit a day prior to the all-important game. However, if the medical staff has to be believed, Virat Kohli should be fine ahead of the clash.
Shardul Thakur hasn’t looked effective in the games that he has played and with Hardik missing out, it looks like India will make 2 changes to the side and drop him to strike right balance.
Probable 11: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav.
New Zealand
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that New Zealand will love those conditions and are unlikely to make any changes to the side, especially when the captain is yet to recover fully from his injury.
Probable 11: Devon Conway, Will Young, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell, Santner, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Glenn Philips, Ferguson, Chapman
Who will win?
Well, even when the odds favour the Kiwis, India looks more balanced. With crowd support and current belief flowing well in India’s camp, it looks like that the 9th game between two sides will see India as winner.
Note– image taken from https://crickettimes.com/ (source-Twitter)
