ODI WC 2023 | In the semi-final match, India – New Zealand will be a test today!

Mumbai: Rohit Sharma-led India will take on Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup at 2pm today at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team has entered the semi-finals after winning all 9 matches in the league round. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s fearless attacking approach with the bat has helped the other batsmen to play without fear of run rate in the middle overs. Rohit Sharma, who has amassed 503 runs, and Shubman Gill, who has 270 runs in 7 games, may once again look to get off to a good start.

Virat Kohli, who is the top run scorer with 594 runs, is waiting to reach the milestone of 50th century. He might want to surpass this milestone with a team win. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer hit a century in the match against the Netherlands.

This has increased the strength of the middle order batting. Suryakumar Yadav is the only major batsman who is struggling to add runs consistently. He has only scored 87 runs in 5 matches. Suryakumar Yadav might be inclined to put in a top performance as today’s game is important.

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Shami are strong in bowling. In this, Bumrah, who has hunted 17 wickets, has given an average of 3.65 runs per over. No bowler has conceded runs more economically than him in this series. Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami, who shines with his experience, has taken 16 wickets despite playing only 5 matches. Mohammad Siraj, who has taken 12 wickets, has been putting pressure on the opposition batsmen in the opening overs.

In terms of spin, Ravindra Jadeja, who has taken 16 wickets, and Kuldeep Yadav, who has taken 14 wickets, are able to control the opponent’s run accumulation in the middle overs and provide a breakthrough at the required time. Throughout the current World Cup series, the Indian team’s bowling on flat pitches has been of better quality and impact than other teams. The bowlers may be serious about making this popular in today’s game as well.

The Kane Williamson-led New Zealand team started with 4 consecutive wins in the league round and then suffered 4 consecutive defeats. However, they beat Sri Lanka in the last league match and were the last team to qualify for the semi-final round. The team has experienced players in both the fields of batting and bowling. Young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, who has amassed 565 runs with 3 centuries, is the opening batsman.

Another opener, Daven Conway, scored a stunning 152 in the first match against England. But in the eight league games since then, he has not crossed a half-century. However, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell in the middle order have the ability to play according to the situation of the game. Tom Latham, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips are also promising batsmen.

The bowling combination of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson may try to challenge the Indian batting line-up. Mitchell Sandner, who has taken 16 wickets, is also ready to apply pressure. Along with them, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips are also able to strengthen the spin bowling.