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India and New Zealand will square off at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamshala on October 22 in match No. 21 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Both sides head into the match in red-hot form having won all their four matches so far. Team India will enjoy the favourites tag having beaten Australia and Pakistan with consummate ease. They also romped home to victories over minnows Afghanistan and Bangladesh to maintain their unbeaten run in the Cricket World Cup. (Cricket World Cup points table)
Rohit Sharma has had a balanced and perfect playing XI with all bases covered until now. However, an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya might upset the team balance a bit against New Zealand. With the pitch at the HPCA Stadium assisting the pacers, India might feel Hardik Pandya’s absence.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have also logged convincing wins over their opponents in all of the four matches. They overcame world champions England in their opening match and did not let the guard down against the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Top five key battles from the India vs New Zealand match
Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult
India captain Rohit Sharma has been in sublime form in the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The opener has scored 265 runs in the four matches at an average of 66.25 and enjoys a strike rate of over 137.
Despite a poor show against Australia, Rohit Sharma blazed to form with a 131 against Afghanistan and then scored a match-winning knock of 86 against arch-rivals Pakistan. Against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma will be up against an experienced bowler in Trent Boult. With the pitch at Dharamshala assisting the pacers, Trent Boult with his ability to make the bowl swing both ways will be a dangerous opponent to come up against.
In the World Cup so far, Trent Boult has taken five wickets in four matches at an average of 29. The Rohit Sharma vs Trent Bolt battle is likely to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Shubman Gill vs Matt Henry
India’s Shubman Gill, despite missing the first two games due to illness and scoring 16 against Pakistan, returned to form with a stroke-filled 55-ball 53 against Bangladesh. The opening batter will need to fire at the top if the Men in Blue are to post a huge total against New Zealand on Sunday. Gill will have to negotiate New Zealand’s new-ball bowler Matt Henry early on. Matt Henry has bagged nine wickets at an average of 18 in four matches. The right-arm pacer has registered the best figures of 3/40, which came during his team’s win over the Netherlands.
Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Santner
Virat Kohli hit the ground running in this World Cup with a match-winning 85 against Australia in the opening match. He then notched up an unbeaten 103 against Bangladesh to assert his supremacy.
Against New Zealand, Virat Kohli will need to navigate New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. The Kiwi spinner has been in top form this World Cup and making the most of the Indian tracks. Mitchell Santner has bagged 11 wickets in four matches so far and is currently on top of the list for most wicket-takers in the competition.
Jasprit Bumrah vs Devon Conway
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been one of India’s key players in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. The right-arm pacer has contributed to the Men in Blue’s success by taking crucial wickets in all four matches. So far, Jasprit Bumrah has grabbed 10 wickets in four games at an average of 13.40. The speedster will be tasked to stop New Zealand’s in-form Devon Conway on Sunday. The Kiwi opener has scored 249 runs in four matches at an average of 83 and a strike rate of 104.62.
Ravindra Jadeja vs Daryl Mitchell
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has chipped in with vital contributions for the Men in Blue so far. The tweaker has been spot-on with the ball in India’s wins over Australia and Pakistan in the previous matches. The spinner has bagged seven wickets in four matches at an average of 20.28 with his best of 3/28 coming against Australia. Ravindra Jadeja will be crucial in keeping a rein on the New Zealand middle-order batsman Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwi batsman has scored 138 runs in four matches at an average of 69 and enjoys a strike rate of 114.04.
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