It will be a clash of rivals as Team India will lock
horns with New Zealand in the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup at Mumbai’s
iconic Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Men in Blue ended their 20-year ICC tournament duck
against New Zealand in the league stage, beating them by four wickets. But the
occasion is much bigger this time.
Men in Blue have a serious task on their sleeves to
overcome the knockout match hurdle against their arch-nemesis that has troubled
them in multiple must-win matches at ICC tournaments.
While the Kiwis will be looking to seal their third
successive World Cup final spot after 2015 and 2019, Team India has a lot of
scars to heal, both for their players and fans.
The defeats to the Kiwis in the 2019 ICC Cricket World
Cup semifinals, 2021 ICC World Test Championship final and 2021 ICC T20 World
Cup are still fresh in fan’s minds. An entry into a World Cup final in home
conditions will make sure that these memories start to wane in intensity.
Men in Blue at this moment can do no wrong it seems.
The opening pair of skipper Rohit Sharma (503 runs) and Shubman Gill (270 runs)
has given explosive starts to India, setting the tone for the rest of the
innings and letting the other batters take their time, settle and dominate.
Virat Kohli (594 runs), Shreyas Iyer (421 runs) and
wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul (347 runs) are a trio of dangerous accumulators
who are hard to get rid of once they settle.
Lower-order batter Suryakumar Yadav is the X-Factor
with his fast-paced, 360-degree strokeplay despite an inconsistent ODI record.
Not many have done what Suryakumar has done in T20Is
as a number-one-ranked batter. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja brings a lot of
balance to the side because of his incredible capabilities with both bat and
ball.
Jadeja is a different player while batting against the
Kiwis. In 11 innings, Jadeja has scored 361 runs at an average of 51.57 and
four half-centuries. His knocks of 77 in the 2019 semis and 39* in the league
stage match against the Kiwis serve as a reminder of the impact Jadeja can make
as a batter.
Kiwis will have to get him out as the star all-rounder
can single-handedly win matches for India.
The Indian bowling attack is also in the form of its
life. Despite initially being billed as the second-best in the presence of
Pakistan’s pace attack, the Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah (17 wickets), Mohammed
Shami (16 wickets) and Mohammed Siraj (12 wickets) have caused destruction like
no other pace unit.
Bumrah creates pressure on batters with the new ball
that lets the entire bowling unit feast on their opponents.
Jadeja (16 wickets) and Kuldeep Yadav (14 wickets),
the team’s top spinners, are just as lethal as the pace attack.
On the other side, Kiwis have a great line-up, though
the impact made by them is not as good as India’s. Batting all-rounder Rachin
Ravindra (565 runs) has been the find of the tournament.
He is capable of anchoring the innings and smacking
fours and sixes at will. Daryl Mitchell (418 runs) and Devon Conway (359 runs)
have been pretty solid as well.
Skipper Kane Williamson’s (187 runs) presence and
superb run in the three matches he has played, boosts the team’s batting. The
Kiwi star is a game-changer and has perfected the art of turning tables slowly,
but steadily.
Besides him, Glenn Phillips (244 runs) serves as a
genuine threat with his power-hitting skills.
However, the biggest threat to India is pacer Trent
Boult (13 wickets). Though Boult has had an inconsistent tournament, the sight
of Boult running with a new ball in his hand is still a scary one.
The presence of spinner Mitchell Santner (16 wickets)
will also test Indian batters, as there have been instances of Men in Blue
occasionally falling prey to spin choke.
The presence of pacers Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson
in itself is a threat for India, as they can make use of their height, pace and
experience to trouble Indian batters.
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, Mitch Santner, Ish
Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
ANI
