For Rohit, Virat, Rahul, Jadeja and Bumrah, who were part of the team that lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Manchester four years ago, Wednesday’s clash in Mumbai is...
Rohit Sharma
Last month, India ended a 20-year winless run against New Zealand in ICC tournaments of all hues. On Wednesday, they will target a second victory against the Kiwis in three-and-a-half weeks in their bid to keep their World Cup title aspirations alive.
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Rohit Sharma’s men are the team to beat, turning in commanding performances with the bat and relying on the class of their five-pronged bowling group to throw down the gauntlet to the chasing pack. At the Wankhede Stadium, where Mahendra Singh Dhoni famously lifted the World Cup in 2011, they will face their first moment of truth against one of the most consistent sides.
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NZ’s final defeats
New Zealand made the finals of the last two 50-over World Cups, going down to the hosts in both instances—Australia lorded over them at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2015, while England edged them out on boundary countback four years later at Lord’s. They might believe now is when they can turn the corner, especially against an outfit that has found the semi-final hurdle a bridge too far in World Cups for the last eight years. But they also know they will have to play the near-perfect match if India bring their ‘A’ game to the last-four showdown.
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Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah wear a dejected look during India’s loss to NZ at Manchester in 2019. Pics/AFP, Getty Images
India have stumbled at the penultimate hurdle in World Cups of the 50-over and 20-over versions on the last four occasions, New Zealand catalysing their heartbreak four years ago in Manchester by sweeping to an 18-run win on the reserve day. Several of India’s stars, who were part of that defeat, are still around, among them Rohit, his predecessor Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and pace ace Jasprit Bumrah. They know they have unfinished business to attend to against Kane Williamson’s affable bunch, which weathered a mid-tournament slump in the form of four straight losses to seal its place in the knockouts.
The Kiwis might not possess the glamour quotient of some of the more flamboyant sides that have fallen by the wayside, but they have always been more than the sum of their parts. One of those parts, young opener Rachin Ravindra, has been an absolute revelation, batting with flair and authority and a touch of Indianness that his parentage has accorded him. Williamson has survived several challenges, not least a freak thumb fracture while running between the wickets, and the peerless Trent Boult has peaked at the right time. India don’t spend too much time focusing on the opposition, choosing to internalise instead, but they will be well aware of the Kiwi spunk and resilience that has proved their undoing many times in the past.
Good win in Dharamsala
The four-wicket win in Dharamsala on October 22 will be a solid base to build on for the home side, but neither that nor their unprecedented nine-match winning streak will count for much on semi-final day. ‘It takes one day,’ screams the World Cup catchline. How appropriate.
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