Aakash Chopra feels India’s victory against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup league stage will help them in the likely semi-final meeting between the two teams.
On Thursday, the Kiwis defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets with 26.4 overs to spare in their last league encounter in Bengaluru. The victory practically guaranteed them fourth place in the points standings and a semi-final meeting with the Men in Blue.
Aakash Chopra stated in a video posted to his YouTube account that New Zealand’s win against Sri Lanka had established the semi-final lineup. He believes India’s ending of their losing streak against the Black Caps in ICC tournaments will boost their cause, explaining:
“The semi-final lineup is set in my opinion. Pakistan’s story is finished. They are not going to win by so many runs. Afghanistan are also not going to win by such a huge margin. So their story is also finished.”
“So New Zealand will be in front of India, this match will be played at the Wankhede on the 15th, and South Africa will be in front of Australia, which will be played at the Eden Gardens on the 16th. The good thing is that we have broken the ICC jinx against New Zealand.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra believes India would have little problems in the semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium following their dominant league-stage victory against New Zealand. He stated:
“We were losing to them for the last 20 years but those things have changed now. We defeated this team in very good fashion while chasing, we grabbed them. So in such a scenario, I expect that Wankhede won’t be that big a problem either.”
Aakash Chopra
In Dharamsala, Rohit Sharma and his team defeated New Zealand by four wickets. They bowled the Black Caps out for 273 and reached the mark with two overs to spare.
Aakash Chopra’s take on Australia’s semi-final against South Africa: They are rising like a phoenix
Aakash Chopra anticipates an exciting match between Australia and South Africa in the other semi-final. He reasoned :
“Australia are rising like a phoenix. It will be extremely interesting as South Africa defeated Australia very easily in the league match. They batted first, scored runs and bowled them out quickly. That match was in Lucknow, this match will be at the Eden Gardens. The pitch will be slightly different, a little spin-friendly.”
Aakash Chopra
The match between Australia and South Africa will be a rematch of their tied semi-final game from the 1999 World Cup, which the Aussies won because they were higher in the Super Six points table. The Proteas will look to revenge that defeat by reaching their first World Cup final.
