MUMBAI: India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
The Men in Blue have set out to seek revenge for their 2019 semi-final World Cup defeat. Martin Guptill’s runout broke the hearts of the Indian fans. But four years later, India will be keen to take their revenge after clinching their first victory against New Zealand since 2003.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said during the time of toss, “We are gonna bat first. Looks like a good pitch. Looks like on the slower side. Whatever we do, we need to do well. I think it was back in 2019 when we played the semis. NZ is one of the most consistent sides. Very important day. Constantly, talking about how important it is abiut turning up on that day. Same team.”
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said during the time of toss, “We would have batted first. Hopefully, some dew later. Amazing occasion. Four years ago, similar situation but a different location. They have been playing some good cricket. Always a building phase between the tournaments. Need to assess what is in front of you when the tournament starts. We are going with the same team from the previous match.”
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham(w), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult. (ANI)