After a captivating group stage involving 10 of the world's top cricketing nations, the final four teams have emerged, and in the first semi-final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup, we will see India taking on New Zealand.
The match will take place at Wankhede Stadium on November 15, and we are expecting an electric atmosphere as the tournament favourites face off against the ranked underdogs for a place in the grand final against either South Africa or Australia this coming weekend.
Match preview
The host nation will step onto the field in Mumbai this weekend, marking their fourth consecutive appearance in the premier ODI tournament and carrying solid momentum, having come through the group stages in pole position.
Under the guidance of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Team India lifted the world title in 2011 but fell at this hurdle in the last two editions, defeated by the Aussies in 2015, while it was this very opponent that sent them packing in 2019.
The Men in Blue came through the group stages with flying colours and an unbeaten record in nine matches, including a four-wicket victory over the Black Caps with two overs to spare back in week five of the competition.
Perhaps the most impressive part of their performances at the 2023 CWC, though, has been the ease with which they have claimed their victories, illustrated in their incredible net run rate of +2.570 so far.
The host nation now have a golden opportunity to get their revenge for that result four years ago, and based on their performances to date, it looks like it is going to take an incredible effort from any of their opponents to get the better of them on their home patch in this competition.
After losing to this opponent in the group stages, New Zealand have now lost each of their last four ODI matches against India and have not secured a single victory over the Men in Blue in India since 2017.
While New Zealand may be the outsiders here, cricket lovers will know that fine margins can decide knockout games, and there are few better examples than what we saw when Martin Guptill's incredible throw dismissed MS Dhoni and crushed India's hopes in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals.
However, the Black Caps will need an even more memorable performance this time as their journey to the semi-finals was far from convincing and included four consecutive losses in their last five games, with a final-match victory over Sri Lanka proving decisive in getting them over the line.
Nevertheless, you need a ticket to win the raffle and having reached the finals in each of the last two ODI World Cups, it would be unfair to write off the Kiwis from a neutral perspective just yet.
For the New Zealanders to give themselves the best chance of pulling off an upset here, a lot will depend on the toss as the Wankhede pitch has delivered an average of 357 runs for the side batting first in the competition while the sides chasing have averaged just 188.
Team News
India boast three of the top 10 run-scorers in the tournament, with Virat Kohli leading the tally with 594 runs in nine innings, followed by captain Rohit Sharma with 503 and Shreyas Iyer with 421.
The hosts also feature three of the top 10 wicket-takers in the tournament, with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah leading the standings with 17 wickets in his nine games, followed by fellow fast bowler Mohammed Shami and spinner Ravindra Jadeja with 16 wickets each.
After missing the last few matches due to an ankle injury, Hardik Pandya has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with Prasidh Krishna being brought in as his replacement for final two matches.
The Black Caps are likely to rely heavily on opener Rachin Ravindra, who has been sensational in his first-ever ODI World Cup, currently on 565 runs in nine innings, while all-rounder Daryl Mitchell will also need to add to his 418-run tally to give his side a chance here.
The main contributors in the wicket-taking department for New Zealand have been spinner Mitchell Santner and paceman Trent Boult with 16 and 13, respectively, while Lockie Ferguson has taken 10.
However, the absence of the formidable Matt Henry, who claimed 11 wickets before exiting the tournament due to injury, will no doubt be a huge miss for the team from the Southern Hemisphere.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav
New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
Series so far
India
Match One: India won by 6 wickets
Australia - 199 (49.3)
India - 201/4 (41.2)
Match Two: India won by 8 wickets
Afghanistan - 272/8 (50)
India - 273/2 (35)
Match Three: India won by 7 wickets
Pakistan - 191 (42.5)
India - 192/3 (30.3)
Match Four: India won by 7 wickets
Bangladesh - 256/8 (50)
India - 261/3 (41.3)
Match Five: India won by 4 wickets
New Zealand - 273 (50)
India - 274/6 (48)
Match Six: India won by 100 runs
India - 229/9 (50)
England - 129 (34.5)
Match Seven: India won by 302 runs
India - 357/8 (50
Sri Lanka - 55 (19.2)
Match Eight: India won by 243 runs
India - 326/5 (50)
South Africa - 83 (27.1)
Match Nine: India won by 160 runs
India - 410/4 (50)
Netherlands - 250 (47.5)
New Zealand
Match One: New Zealand won by 9 wickets
England - 282/9 (50)
New Zealand - 283/1 (36.2)
Match Two: New Zealand won by 99 runs
New Zealand - 322/7 (50)
Netherlands - 223 (46.3)
Match Three: New Zealand won by 8 wickets
Bangladesh - 245/9 (50)
New Zealand - 248/2 (42.5)
Match Four: New Zealand won by 149 runs
New Zealand - 288/6 (50)
Afghanistan - 139 (34.4)
Match Five: New Zealand lost by 4 wickets
New Zealand - 273 (50)
India - 274/6 (48)
Match Six: New Zealand lost by 5 runs
Australia - 388 (49.2)
New Zealand - 383/9 (50)
Match Seven: New Zealand lost by 190 runs
South Africa - 357/4 (50)
New Zealand - 167 (35.3)
Match Eight: New Zealand lost by 21 runs (DLS method)
New Zealand - 401/6 (50)
Pakistan - 200/1 (25.3)
Match Nine - New Zealand won by 5 wickets
Sri Lanka - 171 (46.4)
New Zealand - 172/5 (23.2)
We say: India to win
While New Zealand cannot be ruled out just yet, they did lose plenty of momentum in the lead-up, with four losses in their last five matches. In contrast, India have used their home-ground advantage expertly and have looked like the side to beat since their first match in the competition. The Men in Blue have waited four long years for this opportunity, and we feel they will be the ones to come out on top this time.
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