India will take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2019 to be played at Old Trafford, Manchester on 9th July 2019. The Men in Blue topped the league stage with 15 points coming from 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 no result.
On the other hand, New Zealand finished 4th in the points table with 11 points from 5 wins, 3 losses and 1 no result. Though Pakistan also had earned the same number of points, the better run rate average has landed New Zealand in the semi-finals and pitted them against the table toppers.
The Indian Team performed consistently in the league stages, except from a close match against England which they lost by 31 runs. Apart from this they had a tough time against Afghanistan but managed to win the match in the last over. On the other hand, Kiwis are entering the semi-finals despite 3 successive losses to Pakistan, Australia and England, just based on better NRR.
The head to head match between India and New Zealand in the league stage was washed out due to rain which resulted in 1 point each. The first semi-final on 9th July promise to be an exciting encounter.
Both teams have top quality players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya in the Indian team and Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill in Kiwis team who can change the course of the game and turn in favour of their team. The Indian team looks favourites, but New Zealand is capable of producing match-winning performances on their day.
Here We Look At The 6 Key Players In India-New Zealand Semi-Final