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World Cup 2019: 3 weaknesses of New Zealand that India need to exploit in the semi-finals

The first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup will be between India and New Zealand
The first semi-final of the 2019 World Cup will be between India and New Zealand

The first semi-final in the 2019 World Cup is between two teams whose group encounter was washed out due to rain. While India finished on top of the table in group stages, New Zealand after winning 5 games, lost 3 on the trot to Pakistan, Australia and England and finished 4th.

The encounter promises to be an exciting one. The game is to be played at Manchester where India triumphed against Pakistan and West Indies in the group stages. New Zealand have also tasted success on this ground where they beat West Indies by a narrow margin of 5 runs in their encounter.

India and New Zealand have faced each other 8 times in World Cup and the Kiwis are marginally ahead of India. The Kiwis have won four and lost three while one encounter against India was washed out due to rain.

New Zealand have struggled in the second half of the World Cup and here are three weaknesses which team India need to exploit.


#1 Poor form of openers

Guptill has scored 166 runs in 8 innings in the 2019 World Cup
Guptill has scored 166 runs in 8 innings in the 2019 World Cup

Martin Guptill, the top scorer of the 2015 World Cup, has been struggling to score runs in the ongoing World Cup. After blasting an unbeaten 73 in the first game against Sri Lanka, the opener has scored only 93 runs in the 7 innings thereafter.

Guptill has struggled in particular against left-handed bowlers this World Cup and the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Cottrell, Mohammad Amir and Jason Behrendorff have dismissed him. If the Indian quicks fail to get Guptill early, it will not be a bad idea to have a left-handed spinner to bowl to Guptill.

Apart from Guptill, Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls have struggled to get going this World Cup. After scoring an unbeaten half-century against Sri Lanka, Munro has scored only 67 runs in his remaining 5 innings and was subsequently left out of the last two group matches. His replacement Henry Nicholls has only 8 runs in two innings.

Thus the Indian bowlers will look to take advantage of the brittle New Zealand openers and will look to break through early in the semi-finals.

Also read – World cup most wickets

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