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India skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bat after winning the toss in the first semifinal of the 2023 ODI World Cup against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium here. Wednesday’s match will be played on a used pitch that has already staged two matches in the tournament.
According to sources, the semi-final was initially supposed to be played on the central strip of the Wankhede Stadium’s pitch block, and wasn’t used during the league stage of the World Cup. But in a last minute decision, the semifinal was switched to the nearby Pitch 6 from the originally scheduled Pitch 7.
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The Pitch 6 has already hosted two high-scoring matches with South Africa’s 229-run win over England on October 21, and India’s 302-run victory over Sri Lanka on November 2.
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After opting to bat on Wednesday, Rohit appreciated the pitch while saying that it’s on the slower side.
“The pitch looks good, on the slower side,” cited Rohit.
Recalling the 2019 World Cup semifinal clash against the same opponents, Rohit said, “New Zealand have been consistent over the years. It’s nice, and will be a good contest. Today is the day. Focus on the present. Control the controllables.”
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said they would’ve liked to bat first “on a used surface” and he hopes that maybe there’s a bit of dew later to help them out.
“We know it’s a stiff challenge. They’ve been playing some good cricket but so have we,” said the Kiwi skipper.
According to the ICC’s Playing Conditions for the World Cup, the responsibility of selection and preparation of pitches purely lies on the relevant ground authority, which in this case is the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). The local ground staff works in consultation with the ICC’s independent pitch consultant Andy Atkinson.
The semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup, in England four years ago, were both played on fresh pitches at Old Trafford and Edgbaston. But last year, both T20 World Cup semi-finals were played on used pitches: one at Adelaide Oval, the other at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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