Rahul Dravid and other Indian coaching staff inspect Wankhede pitch ahead of IND vs NZ 2023 World Cup semifinal

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid, alongside his coaching staff consisting of batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach T Dilip, were seen having a closer look at the Wankhede pitch on Monday.

It was the same pitch that would be used for the semifinal between India and New Zealand on Wednesday, November 15. According to reports from PTI, while the Men in Blue did not come in for a practice session, the coaching staff was immediately at work, examining the pitch to devise possible game plans.

After an emphatic 160-run win over the Netherlands on Sunday, the hosts did not have a practice session on Monday as they decided to rest. However, the coaching staff spent quite some time figuring out what to expect from the pitch.

---

New Zealand had three-hour long session ahead of India semifinal

On the other hand, the Kiwis have had an up-and-down tournament so far, just edging out the fourth place. They certainly felt like working on some of their shortcomings and were seen in a three-hour-long practice session under the lights.

The practice session had an intrasquad football match, followed by fielding and catching drills. After losing Matt Henry to injury, pacer Kyle Jamieson was seen working hard on his bowling in the nets. Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Lockie Ferguson too had a brief period of bowling in the nets.

The top order may need to face the potent Indian pace attack under lights if they bat second and the likes of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell also reportedly spent quite a long time in the batting nets.

New Zealand had beaten the Men in Blue by 18 runs in a thrilling semifinal four years ago. Rohit Sharma and Co. will want to avenge it and get a step closer to World Cup glory.

​