In the much awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 the semi-final clash between India and New Zealand, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has won the toss and decided to bat first.
For India, it has been a battle where Virat Kohli’s men have been effective to the extent that they have not had to worry about a suitable ‘Plan B’, but in the knock out stage of the tournament, where it matters the most, the Indian team would not want to give anything away and stick to the plans which have worked for them so far in the tournament.
An impressive World Cup campaign would amount to nothing at all if India lose to New Zealand- a team which has a good record in the World Cup.
However, in the semi-finals, India have an impressive 3-3 record from their six appearances while New Zealand have won only one of their seven matches.
This could well be viewed as a battle of India’s batsmen against Kiwi bowlers. Here is a stat to build that argument- Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, with a total of 1347 runs among them, will be up against the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult and Matt Henry who have shared 42 wickets among them.
If cricket is just a battle between bat and ball, what better than having India and New Zealand up against each other in the semi-final?
All that being said, this is an important toss to win for New Zealand given that it is a high-pressure game and the stakes are high.
It’s a cricketing feast ahead for all the cricket lovers across the world.
The match starts at 3 pm (IST).
Read: World Cup semi-final: What happens if India-New Zealand match is washed out
Playing XIs
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult