India are set to take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in a rerun of the same fixture from the previous edition of the tournament.
Team India on Wednesday have the chance to rewrite the heartbreaking memories of the 2019 Cricket World Cup where they were routed by the Black Caps in the semi-final in Manchester.
This time India have dominated the group stage as the only unbeaten side in the tournament. New Zealand, on the other hand, made it through into the last four with five wins from nine matches.
The group stage meeting between the two teams came on 22 October, with India winning by four wickets.
Wankhede Stadium pitch report
Wednesday’s semi-final will begin at 2pm local time and is being played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The toss will be key, as fielding first is likely to be an advantage. Sixty per cent of the matches on the pitch in this tournament have been won by teams that have batted second.
The red soil at the Wankhede Stadium is known to generate formidable bounce and dew can later turn out to be a major factor. As a result captains tend to prefer to chase rather than bat first.
The pitch at Wankhede is nonetheless batter-friendly, and has helped teams post some huge totals in the World Cup so far.
Mumbai weather report
The weather will mostly be sunny during the 2023 World Cup semi-final, according to AccuWeather.
There is just a one per cent chance of precipitation, so there is no risk of rain playing spoilsport during the first semi-final. Humidity is anticipated to be at 30 per cent and temperatures are expected to fluctuate between 36C and 25C at night.
India batter Virat Kohli is the current leading run-scorer in the World Cup. He has 594 runs in nine matches at an average of 99.
New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra is third on the runs table. He has scored 565 runs at an average of 70.62.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 17 wickets – more than any other Indian bowler and one more than his teammate Ravindra Jadeja.
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner has been the best bowler for the Kiwis this tournament, with 16 wickets in nine games.
India vs New Zealand World Cup 2023 Semi-final Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
