India on Wednesday won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand.

The first semifinal of the 2023 World Cup will play out at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Both teams are meeting at the same stage of the tournament four years apart, the last clash having seen the Kiwis emerge victorious. 

India has thus far been unshakeable, winning all their games in the league stages. New Zealand has had a fair run, but with five wins and four losses appear to be the weakest of the teams in the semis, at least on paper. 

India's group stage match against the Kiwis was a rather close contest where Rohit Sharma's Men in Blue restricted Kane Williamson's team to 273, and won the game by 4 wickets with 12 balls left. 

While Williamson appeared relaxed before the clash, Rohit Sharma is headed into the game looking towards a golden future, and perhaps a shot at ultimate glory that could play out in Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19.

Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami,  Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Source: Deccan Herald

BDST: 1504 HRS, NOV 15, 2023
MN