World Cup Live Cricket Score: Ball by ball commentary, Scorecard, Live Update | IND vs NZ WC Semi Final 2019
It's 2019 World Cup semi-finals time and group stage table toppers India will take on New Zealand at Old Trafford, Manchester on July 9th.
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India come into the business end of the tournament after nearly having a flawless group stage phase. The Men In Blue only lost one game against hosts England and another match against New Zealand was washed out.
A key component of India's success has been Rohit Sharma's blistering form in this World Cup. The Mumbai batsman has more than covered up Shikhar Dhawan's absence with five centuries in this World Cup. The likes of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have also looked in superb touch even though they don't have Rohit's stats.
Bowling wise, Jasprit Bumrah, as usual, hasn't disappointed his team and billions of fans with outstanding performances in each match. Hardik Pandya has been a good fifth bowler for India with him using his variations to pick key wickets in the middle overs.
For New Zealand, a campaign which started like a dream went downhill in the last three matches. New Zealand literally had to scrape through to remain in the Top 4 after Pakistan registered a late comeback in the campaign. The main reason for New Zealand's troubles has been the constant failures of their batting line-up. Except skipper Kane Williamson, no other Kiwi batsmen has been consistent in this tournament.
While their bowling also hasn't been eye-catchy, the duo of Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson have at least been able to cause a lot of damage to opposition teams with their contrasting skills. While Boult has looked to bring down batting units with his skillful swing bowling, Ferguson has looked to do the same with his incredible pace and accuracy.
The two teams, New Zealand and India couldn't face each other as their match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham was washed out due to heavy rain. While New Zealand have a 4-3 head-to-head record in World Cups, India have a considerably better 55-45 record in other ODI matches.
The strip at Old Trafford hosted some relatively high-scoring games in the group stage when compared to the other venues, albeit the fact that the team which batted first had far better conditions to play.
However, with the knockout matches set to be played on fresh wickets, one could expect a true batting wicket that will stay the same for the duration of 100 overs.
India head into this semi-final fixture as favorites even though New Zealand aren't a team that can be taken lightly. Follow this exciting battle on Sportskeeda.
Also see – India vs New Zealand head to head stats
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