Match Preview - India vs New Zealand, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023/24, 21st Match - Gudstory

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The big picture: Here comes the Indian Ghost Team

Ask any ardent Indian fan who their second favorite cricket team is, and New Zealand will remain the popular answer. Ask the same group of fans which team scares them the most when it comes to ICC action: New Zealand will once again be the unanimous answer. Why are you asking.

It was probably the memories of the last game here that made most Indian fans cringe. As much as India would like to deny it, New Zealand have been a bogey team over the years. There are numbers to back this up. In all ICC events since 1992 (looking only at the final of the 2019-21 and 2021-23 WTC sessions), India have beaten New Zealand just once in nine attempts.

Which is why that will not be the case when these two teams meet in Dharamsala on Sunday Only other Group stage match: There will be a bit of history to it. And also the fact that at the end of the encounter, not a single team will remain unbeaten in the competition.

Both New Zealand and India were clinical in their approach and went into the match having won four out of four matches. Who continues his winning streak? The answer may depend on how fast the bowlers are.

As much as Dharamsala Stadium is about the stunning snow-capped mountains of the Dhauladhar range in the background, it is also about the altitude. With this increase comes help for those who are fasting. Of all the venues that have so far hosted more than one World Cup match, Dharamsala – along with Lucknow – has provided fast bowlers with the most swing in the first ten overs of each innings.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have become a key component of the Indian attack. They will miss Hardik Pandya, but if Mohammed Shami comes in, he is a bowler, and he is sure to extract early action with that straight seam.

While India’s attack looks more comprehensive, the New Zealand contingent has been equally good. Their 2019 class is largely intact with Matt Henry, Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson all starting the tournament well. On the spin front, Mitchell Santner tops the wicket-taking charts with 11 strikes at 15.09.

The speculators on both sides have been in impeccable form. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Devon Conway occupied positions 2, 3 and 4 on the run charts, while the middle order was also launched. Can they find a way to score big goals with the ball?

Model guide: Who’s streak ends?

India: WWWWL (last five ODIs completed, most recent first)
New Zealand: WWWWW

In the spotlight: Mohamed Siraj and Matt Henry

Mohamed Siraj has not looked at his best so far in the World Cup. In four matches, Siraj has managed just five wickets at 42.40. It has also been leaked with a rating of 6.32 or more. But if there is one place that will give him a chance to improve on these numbers, it is Dharamsala. Siraj is one of the few bowlers who can bowl both ways. But in Dharamsala, it may be the wobbly deliveries that New Zealand needs to be most wary of. Siraj has a dream of 2023 in ODIs and is hopeful that India’s next match will be where he turns the World Cup around.

The Boults and the Southees often steal the spotlight when talking about New Zealand’s fast bowling battery, but in the last couple of years, Matt Henry has truly been their shining light. No other New Zealand player has more wickets than Henry who has taken 41 in 24 caps since the start of 2022. But it is the way he has led the attack in the World Cup that has been impressive. He outscored Boult and Lockie Ferguson, kept Tim Southee out of the side and picked up wickets when it mattered while maintaining an economy of 4.83. He currently stands fourth in the wicket-taker list with nine in four matches at 18.00. Good game and he can zoom right to the top.

Team News: Who comes for Pandya?

Pandya was ruled out of the Dharamsala match after injuring his right ankle against Bangladesh on Thursday. The million dollar question is who will replace him. Rahul Dravid was not vocal about the changes, but spoke about some of the options they have considered. There is a chance that India will bring in Suryakumar Yadav or Ishan Kishan instead of Hardik and that Shardul Thakur will compete with Shami for the eighth spot.

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (captain), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Suryakumar Yadav / Ishan Kishan, 8 Shardul Thakur / Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Muhammad Siraj

With New Zealand’s attack firing up like it has, Southee may have to spend more in the sheds. Kane Williamson remains sidelined with a thumb injury, so New Zealand are unlikely to make any changes to the squad.

New Zealand (possible): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Rashin Ravindra, 4 Tom Latham (captain and week), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult.

Pitch and conditions: Beware of the fast one

The surface looked very green on the eve of the match but it is likely that much of the grass will have been removed before kick-off. Until then expect speed and endurance for fast bowlers. The weather was bright and sunny on the eve of the match, but it is expected to be cloudy and cold on Sunday, with the temperature likely to approach 18 degrees Celsius at the start of the match.

Stats and Trivia: All eyes on Jill

The toss-winning captain chose to play in each of the seven ODIs played in Dharamsala.
Shubman Gill needs 14 runs to reach the mark of 2,000 in ODIs. If he gets there tomorrow, in his 38th innings, he will be the fastest to 2,000 runs in ODI cricket. Beating the record set by Hashim Amla (40).
Rohit has fallen to Boult four times in 13 ODI innings and averages just 22.25 against him.
Tom Latham has five fifties and two centuries in 20 ODI innings against India

quotes

“It’s nice to have Ishaan [Kishan] Playing well, being left-handed. But Syria [Suryakumar Yadav] It also comes in some form against Australia. He played a few great roles. An absolutely fantastic player against spin – left-arm spin, right-arm spin, or any kind of spin for that matter. The role is perhaps that of mediator. We are very clear about the types of roles we want to play. If we are looking for someone who will look to be an enforcer for us in the lower-middle order, Suriya is certainly someone who can do that. If we were looking for someone more senior, we might go with Ishaan.”
India coach Rahul Dravid

“India’s top order has been fantastic in this tournament, and again, our bowling attack has done a really good job attacking as well. This is going to be a great competition with bat and ball, and obviously the opposite is true with the Indian seamers and our top order. Obviously, “You look at the games throughout the game against both sides, and there are some very good games there.”
New Zealand captain Tom Latham

Ashish Pant is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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