World Cup 2023: India vs New Zealand, 1st Semifinal – Dafanews Match Preview

India will take on New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ongoing World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Wednesday. The Kiwis had beaten India by 18 runs in the 2019 World Cup semifinal and with it, a billion hopes had also died.

India has been a force to reckon with in the ongoing ODI showpiece as they won all nine league-stage matches convincingly. On the other hand, New Zealand have also done a fine job as a unit and they will be looking to deliver.

We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.

Current form for India: W W W W W

India has clicked as a unit and they have looked unstoppable in the tournament. All the players have delivered at crucial stages in all the nine games they have played and the collective effort must have given them a lot of confidence before the all-important semifinal.

Current form for New Zealand: W L L L L

New Zealand had won their opening four matches but veered off the track as they lost their next four. However, the Kiwis bounced back in style with a comprehensive win against Sri Lanka in their last league stage match. New Zealand will need to be at their absolute best if they have to beat India.

Head to Head: Matches: 117, Won by India: 59, Won by New Zealand: 50, NR: 7, Tied: 1.

India holds the advantage against New Zealand in the H2H battle.

Players to look out for: KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj will hold the key for Team India.

Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, and Tim Southee will be the crucial players for New Zealand.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.