In the first semi-final of the ODI Cricket World Cup, the hosts India and the fourth-ranked New Zealand will face off today on Wednesday. The match will start at 2:30 PM at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Cricket lovers are waiting to see a thrilling fight.
But before that, India-fans remember the semi-final history of the last season with anxiety. In the 2019 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s dream of reaching the final was crushed by this New Zealand. India could not win despite getting a medium target of 240 runs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost by 18 runs.
New Zealand scored 239 runs after winning the toss and batting in the match held at England’s Old Trafford Stadium. Ross Traylor scored the highest 74 runs for the team. The second highest score was 67 by the current captain of the Black Caps, Kane Williamson. 28 runs came from the bat of Henry Nicholas.
After that, India fell into a batting disaster after playing for a target of 240 runs. In the end, Virat Kohli was bowled out for 221 runs with 3 balls left in the innings, playing at a turtle pace. The maximum 77 runs for the team came from the bat of left-handed all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored the second highest 50 runs. Besides, Rishav scored 32 runs.
The memory of that match still hurts many fans of the team including Indians. Kohli also has the pain of not being able to win despite getting an easy target. Now is their chance to take revenge. Will India be able to defeat New Zealand in the final at home? Or will it repeat in 2019? Question in the minds of cricket lovers.
Considering the current performance, however, India will be ahead. Because they won all the 9 games of the first phase of the World Cup. Top of the points table advanced to the semi-finals. They are playing devastating cricket in all categories of batting-bowling-fielding. Several batter-bowlers are in peak form.
On the other hand, last World Cup finalists New Zealand are also in great form despite losing three out of nine matches in the first phase. Some of their players are also showing charisma in bat-ball. Besides, there are sweet memories of defeating India in the semi-finals of the last season, there is confidence. With Kane Williamson’s tactful captaincy.
However, current Indian captain Rohit Sharma has already stated that the 2019 World Cup nightmare will not affect his team’s performance. They will play in the same mood as they have won the last 9 matches. There are no additional plans. All in all, today will be the battle of Seyane Seyane at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Let’s see who will win that fight.
(15 November/AJ)