ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: Can India seek revenge of the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand in 2023?
Over a billion hearts were shattered when India lost the semi-final against New Zealand by just 18 runs in the 2019 World Cup. The two-day match (yes, you read it right) ended in a huge disappointment as India were not able to go past the Kiwis. Four years later, can India seek revenge of that loss and defeat New Zealand in the semi-final to be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15?
Since the 2019 World Cup, India and New Zealand have played 10 ODIs, with India losing the first four and winning the last four (two matches did not produce results). Looking at their imperious form in this World Cup, India will definitely back themselves to book a flight to Ahmedabad to play the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 final on November 19.
Head-to-Head
India and New Zealand have played 117 ODIs against each other since 1975, of which India have won 59, New Zealand have won 50, one match ended in a tie, and seven matches did not produce results. In India, they have played 39 ODIs against each other, of which India have won 30, New Zealand have won eight, and one match did not produce a result. At the World Cups, they have met nine times, with New Zealand leading the charge 5-4. In this edition of the World Cup however India emerged victorious as they beat the Kiwis by four wickets.
| Particulars | India | New Zealand |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 1 | 5 |
| Wins in ODIs | 59 | 50 |
| In India | 30 | 8 |
| At World Cups | 4 | 5 |
Performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
Comparing the performances of India and New Zealand in this World Cup, there is seldom any doubt that India have been far better than the Kiwis. The hosts have not dropped a single match in the league stage and will enter the semi-final with truckloads of confidence. On the other hand, the finalist of the 2019 World Cup have seen their share of ups and downs as they lost four games in a row after winning four straight games and ended their league stage with a win.
| Match number | India | New Zealand |
| 1 | Beat Australia by 6 wickets | Beat England by 9 wickets |
| 2 | Beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets | Beat Netherlands by 99 runs |
| 3 | Beat Pakistan by 7 wickets | Beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets |
| 4 | Beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets | Beat Afghanistan by 149 runs |
| 5 | Beat New Zealand by 4 wickets | Lost to India by 4 wickets |
| 6 | Beat England by 100 runs | Lost to Australia by 5 runs |
| 7 | Beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs | Lost to South Africa by 190 runs |
| 8 | Beat South Africa by 243 runs | Lost to Pakistan by 21 runs (DLS method) |
| 9 | Beat Netherlands by 160 runs | Beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets |
Squads
India: 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: 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.
Injury updates
There are no injury concerns for India and New Zealand ahead of their semi-final clash.
Playing conditions
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the encounter between India and New Zealand. It will be a day night match. The venue will host its fifth and last match of this tournament. The teams batting first have won three of the four matches played here. India have played a match here in this edition of the World Cup. It was against Sri Lanka, which they won by 302 runs. Batting in the first innings is relatively easy. In the second innings, as the floodlights are turned on, bowlers get some assistance. Also, the gentle breeze blowing across the stadium in the second half can assist the bowlers get some swing.
Weather
The weather is expected to be very warm with hazy sunshine. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 36 degrees Celsius. There will be 21% cloud cover and 1% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the south-southwest.
Players to watch out for
Virat Kohli: Averaging an unbelievable 99 in this World Cup, India’s Virat King Kohli has scored 594 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 89. He is the top run scorer in the tournament. In his last match against Netherlands, he also rolled his arm over to bowl three overs and accounted for a wicket.
Jasprit Bumrah: Known for nailing yorkers at will, India’s pace ace has claimed 17 wickets in nine matches and is the leading wicket-taker for his team. He has been excellent with the new ball and also in the death overs.
Rachin Ravindra: The 23-year-old New Zealander has been on a dream run in this World Cup. With 565 runs in nine matches at an average of 71 and strike rate of 108, he has scored the most runs by any player in a debut World Cup.
Mitchell Santner: The crafty left arm spinner of New Zealand is the most successful bowler for his team with 16 wickets in nine matches. He has been bowling at an economy of under five runs per over.
Milestones alert
- Mohammad Shami and Kuldeep Yadav will play their 100th
- Mohammad Shami needs 3 wickets complete 50 wickets in World Cups
- Jasprit Bumrah needs 4 wickets to complete 150 ODI wickets
- Virat Kohli needs 1 century to complete 50 ODI centuries and become the player with the highest number of centuries in ODIs
- Rohit Sharma needs 19 runs to complete 1500 runs in World Cups
- Tom Latham needs 48 runs to complete 4000 ODI runs
- Daryl Mitchell needs 57 runs to complete 1500 ODI runs
- Lockie Ferguson needs 1 wicket to complete 100 ODI wickets
Match details
Date: November 15, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo