India and New Zealand will face each other on October 22 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamshala, in match No. 21 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Both sides enter the match in red-hot form after winning all the matches. their four games so far. Team India will enjoy the title of favorites by beating Australia and Pakistan with great ease. They also recorded victories over minnows Afghanistan and Bangladesh to maintain their unbeaten run in the Cricket World Cup. (Cricket World Cup Points Table)
Rohit Sharma has had a balanced and perfect playing XI so far, with all the bases covered. However, an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya could throw off the team’s balance against New Zealand. With the pitch at the HPCA Stadium assisting the pacers, India might feel the absence of Hardik Pandya.
New Zealand, meanwhile, also recorded convincing victories over their opponents in all four matches. They defeated world champions England in their opening match and did not let their guard down against the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Top five most important battles from the India vs New Zealand match
Rohit Sharma vs Trent Boult
Indian captain Rohit Sharma is in superb form during the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The opener has scored 265 runs in the four matches at an average of 66.25 and has a strike rate of over 137.
Despite a poor performance against Australia, Rohit Sharma took the lead with a 131 against Afghanistan and then scored a match-winning knock of 86 against arch-rivals Pakistan. Against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma will go up against an experienced bowler in Trent Boult. With the pitch in Dharamshala assisting the pacers, Trent Boult, with his ability to swing the bowl both ways, will be a dangerous opponent to face.
In the World Cup so far, Trent Boult has taken five wickets in four matches, with an average of 29. The battle between Rohit Sharma and Trent Bolt is likely to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Shubman Gill vs. Matt Henry
Indian Shubman Gill, despite missing the first two matches due to illness and scoring 16 against Pakistan, returned to form with a strike-filled 55-ball 53 against Bangladesh. The opening batsman will have to fire up top if the Men in Blue are to post a huge total against New Zealand on Sunday. Gill will have to deal with New Zealand bowler Matt Henry early on. Matt Henry has taken nine wickets at an average of 18 in four matches. The right-arm pacer has posted best figures of 3/40, which came during his team’s victory over Netherlands.
Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Santner
Virat Kohli made a flying start in this World Cup with a match-winning 85 against Australia in the opening match. He then made an unbeaten 103 against Bangladesh to assert his supremacy.
Against New Zealand, Virat Kohli will have to navigate New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. The Kiwi spinner has been in top form this World Cup and is making the most of the Indian circuits. Mitchell Santner has bagged 11 wickets in four matches so far and currently tops the list of most wicket-takers in the league.
Jasprit Bumrah vs. Devon Conway
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been one of India’s key players in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. The right-arm pacer has contributed to the Men in Blue’s success by taking crucial wickets in all four matches. So far, Jasprit Bumrah has taken 10 wickets in four matches at an average of 13.40. The speedster will be tasked on Sunday to stop the in-form New Zealander Devon Conway. The Kiwi opener scored 249 runs in four matches at an average of 83 and a strike rate of 104.62.
Ravindra Jadeja vs. Daryl Mitchell
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has made crucial contributions for the Men in Blue so far. The tweaker was perfect with the ball in India’s wins over Australia and Pakistan in the previous matches. The spinner has taken seven wickets in four matches at an average of 20.28, with his best of 3/28 coming against Australia. Ravindra Jadeja will be crucial in containing New Zealand middle-order batsman Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwi batsman has scored 138 runs in four matches at an average of 69 and has a strike rate of 114.04.
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