IND vs. NZ Semi Finals 2023: In the match against New Zealand, Kohli does have a few personal triumphs to look forward to, but the semifinal curse hangs over the great player of the contemporary age.
IND Vs NZ Semi Finals 2023
Virat Kohli’s individual milestones and accomplishments—most notably, his tie with Sachin Tendulkar for the most ODI hundreds (49)—have received more attention than his spot in the Indian batting order for the 2023 World Cup. If Rohit Sharma’s aggressive, newfound style of cricket has been setting the tone early in the game, then Kohli has been crucial in keeping the momentum going and occasionally changing gears to take a backseat and elevate the game.
Kohli and Rohit have been the foundation of Indian batting in this World Cup, amassing 594 and 503 runs in nine innings, respectively. As such, they will be eager to maintain their form when the Men in Blue look to exact their 2019 retribution against New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday. However, in an attempt to support India in the much-awaited match, both players will have a greater curse to break.
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During the 2023 World Cup, Kohli has been at his merciless best, shattering record after record every time he hits the field. He has now amassed 594 runs at an average of 99, smashing two hundreds and five half-centuries. In his four World Cup appearances, this is the most runs he has ever scored. He is 80 runs short of breaking yet another of his idol’s all-time records and six runs short of becoming the second Indian batter to score 600 or more runs in a single World Cup after Sachin (673 runs in 2003) and Rohit (648 runs in 2019).
Additionally, the latter would push him ahead of the India legend who now holds the record for the most knocks in a single World Cup edition—both of them have seven.While Kohli has a few significant personal goals to pursue in the match against New Zealand, the curse of the semifinals hangs over the great player of the contemporary age.
Kohli’s knockout troubles
Tests are what Kohli loves. When the stakes are higher, Kohli thrives. And you would want to wager on the 35-year-old to put on his greatest performance ever in what is probably going to be his final World Cup participation in a huge game like the one that is scheduled for this Wednesday. However, Kohli appears to have crumbled under the weight of the big stage in each of his last three World Cup semifinal outings.
In the 2011 semifinal match against Pakistan in Mohali, he scored nine points out of twenty-one; against Australia in Sydney in 2015; and against New Zealand in Manchester in 2019, he scored one point out of eight. Not only in the semifinals, but in the two quarterfinals India participated in (2011) and 2015 as well, where he scored 24 off 33 against Australia and 3 off 8 against Bangladesh, respectively, the stats are still alarming.
His lone significant knockout performance came in the 2011 championship match, where he and Gautam Gambhir forged a heroic 83-run partnership after India had lost two early wickets in the powerplay. He scored a crucial 35 from 49 at that time. He has made six appearances in an ODI World Cup knockout game, averaging just 12.16 overall.
His worries are compounded by the fact that he has lost three times in a World Cup semifinal to left-arm pacers. Trent Boult in 2019, Wahab Riaz in 2011, and Mitchell Johnson in 2015. And on Wednesday, he will face the latter once more. Kohli, though, will try to take heart from his performance against Boult in India’s league-stage match against New Zealand, where he scored 24 runs in 17 deliveries on a batting-friendly Dharamsala surface.
What about Rohit Sharma?
Not only does the Indian captain have a dismal semifinal record, but he has only scored 35 runs in his two games in 2015 and 2019. In the 2015 match against Australia, he scored 34 off 48, but in the 2019 match, Matt Henry of New Zealand dismissed him after just 1 off 4.
Even though the sample size is smaller than it is for Kohli, Rohit will be much more involved for India on Wednesday considering the style of cricket he has been playing the entire time as the hosts attempt to defeat New Zealand in a World Cup match for the second time in a row.
Frequently asked questions
What is the playing 11 of IND vs NZ?
India predicted playing XI for the IND vs. NZ ICC Cricket World Cup Match: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj.
Why India lost to New Zealand in semi-final?
India’s journey at the 2019 ODI World Cup at Old Trafford was halted by fourth-place New Zealand, who defeated them by 18 runs in a two-day quarterfinal impacted by rain.
How many times New Zealand beat India?
In over a hundred One-Day Internationals (ODIs), India and New Zealand have faced off. India has the advantage over New Zealand in their 117 meetings, having won 59 of them. In the interim, New Zealand has defeated India in 50 ODI encounters. There is just one tie in the history of IND vs. NZ ODI matches, and seven have ended in a draw.
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