The timer for the highly anticipated World Cup 2023 first semifinal is running out. On Wednesday, India and New Zealand will square off in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
With nine league-stage victories under their belt, India finished first in the points table with an impeccable record. While the Blackcaps started the tournament with four straight victories, they then lost an equal amount of games before destroying Sri Lanka to secure fourth place with 10 points.
Both sides played previously in the tournament at Dharamsala, with India triumphing by six wickets in a difficult chase of 274.
In addition to defeating Sri Lanka earlier this month to achieve their biggest victory in the competition’s history by 302 runs, India has great memories of the Wankhede Stadium, having won the 2011 World Cup there.
Only once, in the first of three ODI rubber matches in 2017, did the two teams square off at Wankhede Stadium.
With his 31st century in the format, the game commemorated Virat Kohli’s 200th ODI appearance for India. Once India won the toss, they chose to bat first, but there was some conflict when Trent Boult dismissed both Rohit Sharma (20) and Shikhar Dhawan (9) in the first six over.
Kohli took leadership and stabilized the ship, while Kedar Jadhav also left after providing just 12 out of 25 deliveries. At 71/3, Dinesh Karthik walked out and provided his skipper with the type of assistance he craved, resulting in a fourth-wicket partnership of 73.
Karthik was out for 37 before being replaced by MS Dhoni, who put up a 57-run partnership with Kohli, who looked hopeless at the finish. Dhoni failed to make up for a sluggish start, departing for a 42-ball 25 in the 41st over with Kohli still on the field to propel the Men in Blue to a competitive total.
The superstar did not disappoint, scoring a brilliant century along the way and finishing on 121 from 125 deliveries before being bowled by Tim Southee in the last over. Kohli’s century and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s tidy 15-ball 26 helped India finish with 280/8, setting up an intriguing second half despite the fact that Boult (4/35) and Southee (3/73) were the main wreckers with the ball.
New Zealand responded methodically, with Martin Guptill (32) and Colin Munro (28) putting up 48 runs for the first wicket. However, things quickly changed when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Munro before Kuldeep Yadav grabbed the crucial wicket of skipper Kane Williamson for just six runs.
The Blackcaps were in trouble on 80/3 after Guptill left, but what followed was a partnership for the ages between Ross Taylor and Tom Latham. The duo delivered a masterclass in spin negation, with Latham in particular putting on a sweep-fest to counter Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep.
From milking singles to consistently reaching the boundary, it was a masterclass in ODI batsmanship as they never let the asking rate get out of hand. Latham (103*) scored his fourth ODI century, but Taylor fell five runs short of his own.
A 200-run fourth-wicket stand effectively ended the hosts’ chances as New Zealand cruised to a six-wicket victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
India vs New Zealand: A Chance for Redemption After the 2019 Heartbreak
India and New Zealand faced off in the 2019 World Cup semifinals in Manchester over two days, with the reserve day being used due to weather.
Matt Henry and Boult used favorable bowling conditions to restrict the Men in Blue to 5/3, which they could not recover from despite half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni.
When they play New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday, the hosts are favorites to banish the memories of Manchester United because to their dominating performance in the 2023 World Cup and the fact that they are playing at home.
However, considering the importance of the event, it is actually more simpler than it seems. Nonetheless, India has every reason to think they can pull it off and secure a place in the men’s ODI World Cup championship match for a record four times.
Having never won the World Cup, the Blackcaps are hoping to reach their third straight final and finally break through. India took home the esteemed award twice, in 1983 and 2011.
