Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
CWC 2019 Semi Final 1: India v New Zealand Preview Dream11 Prediction. IND vs NZ Preview Dream11 Prediction
It was the topic of conversation ahead of the premier event in ODI cricket. After 29 games, the top four looked all-but-certain. However, one result breathed life into the World Cup, with plenty of talking points in the final stages of the league campaign.
In the end, the three teams most believed would reach the final four did so. One of them is India, who benefited from Australia’s defeat to South Africa to finish first in the table. Powered by Rohit Sharma, India have been efficient without being at their absolute best, which can certainly be a scary proposition for the remaining sides in CWC 2019.
One of those teams is New Zealand. Having crawled into the Semi Finals on the back of three straight defeats, the Black Caps need a significant lift. Their batting has been a source of disappointment for much of the tournament, which came to the fore against remaining Semi Finalists Australia and New Zealand, bowled out for consecutive sub-200 totals. Will the pressure of knockout cricket elevate them or see them exit with barely a whimper?
Also read: Were New Zealand fortunate to make the Semi Finals?
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Key to an India win
The loss of Shikhar Dhawan was a blow to India. Fans knew it, with millions almost inconsolable as Dhawan announced the news on social media. However, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have combined very well to propel India – after some nervy moments, with the latest effort a huge 189-run stand to flatten Sri Lanka. However, a New Zealand bowling attack looking to make amends for a poor start against England will be a different test. How the top three cope with any swing on offer early will be key, before settling in nicely in the middle order to lay a strong platform for the likes of Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya to finish the job.
Also, India’s attack has an opportunity to pounce on New Zealand’s struggling batting lineup. It starts at the top, with India’s opening bowlers key to breaking through early – as they often did in their 4-1 triumph in New Zealand earlier in 2019. Who partners Jasprit Bumrah will be interesting to see, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar struggling for rhythm and control against Sri Lanka. Also, is Kuldeep Yadav confident enough to make a huge impact, and can the Indian attack get the better of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, building significant dot-ball pressure along the way? India are the favourites, but there are some questions they would like to answer.
Key to a New Zealand win
New Zealand’s batting issues have been on display for the cricket world to see. Their batting prowess was in question even when they were winning games, relying too much on Kane Williamson, who has scored nearly one-third of his team’s runs in CWC 2019. The positive for New Zealand is that all it takes now is to get it right on the day, so eyes will be on Martin Guptill to deliver at the top. The prolific Black Caps’ opener has had an under-par tournament, but can he fire to catch India off-guard in such a big game? Will he be the man to take the pressure off Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, transferring the heat to India’s bowlers instead? Here, New Zealand need their all-rounders finishing well after a strong platform, which has eyes placed firmly on their top four and how well they can rotate the strike.
Also read: Were New Zealand fortunate to make the Semi Finals?
Also, Rohit Sharma has had a magnificent tournament, topping the run-scoring chart in the group stage with a huge 647 runs. However, in-swing against left-arm seam has been a weakness for Rohit in the past, so Trent Boult will also be crucial to New Zealand’s chances. If he can get the ball swinging at a full length, the Black Caps might very well have India in panic mode early, particularly if they force the middle order to rebuild. The fitness of Lockie Ferguson will also be key, as New Zealand missed him badly in their last game as England took advantage of some poor bowling to score 300+ last time out. Can the New Zealand attack work as a unit to restrict India?
Pitch and conditions
The fears from earlier in the tournament have returned. Some showers are expected in Old Trafford for Tuesday, but hopefully not enough to force the game to be restarted on the reserve day. The forecast for the reserve day (Wednesday) is for more rain. In regards to the pitch, it was a belter for the Australia-South Africa match and is likely to play similarly for this match.
Possible Playing 11
India have some questions regarding the makeup of their bowling attack. Mohammed Shami has been in the wickets in CWC 2019, and is a good bet of coming back into the side for such a big game. So too Yuzvendra Chahal, who has outbowled Kuldeep Yadav in the tournament. It remains to be seen if India persist with the five specialist bowlers + Hardik Pandya as they did vs Sri Lanka or employ some extra batting depth.
India: 1. Rohit Sharma, 2. KL Rahul, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Rishabh Pant, 5. MS Dhoni (wk), 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Kedar Jadhav/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 8. Mohammed Shami, 9. Kuldeep Yadav, 10. Yuzvendra Chahal, 11. Jasprit Bumrah
Tim Southee played his first game of CWC 2019 against England and struggled. If Lockie Ferguson is fit, he will slot straight back in.
England: 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Henry Nicholls, 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Ross Taylor, 5. Tom Latham (wk), 6. Jimmy Neesham, 7. Colin de Grandhomme, 8. Mitchell Santner, 9. Matt Henry, 10. Lockie Ferguson, 11. Trent Boult
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Dream11 Prediction
Also read: Enjoy cricket betting online? Key things you must keep in mind!
Option 1:
Option 2:
Stats and Facts
- Head-to-head in World Cups: Matches 7, India 3, New Zealand 4.
- The India-New Zealand league stage match was washed out. So, this will be the first WC meeting between the sides since 2003.
- India beat New Zealand 4-1 in an ODI series earlier this year.
- New Zealand have lost their past three matches, but Martin Guptill holds the key. He averages just 26.61 vs India in 30 ODIs. There is no better time than now to deliver.
- Rohit Sharma has the most runs in CWC 2019 with 644.
Match Prediction
New Zealand might have been the preferred opponent for the Semi Final, but they can’t be counted out. The likes of Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Lockie Ferguson are too good to be ignored.
However, the Black Caps aren’t playing well as a unit at the moment. India are in much better form, and I back them to win and reach the Final.
Thanks for reading!
Also read: Where to now for Afghanistan after team management’s rubbish hurt their World Cup campaign?
Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.
