
India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, won the toss and decided to bowl first in a high-stakes showdown against New Zealand in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at the HPCA Stadium. In this top-of-the-table clash, both teams have yet to experience defeat in the competition, with New Zealand’s last loss to India in an ODI World Cup dating back to 2003.
With Hardik Pandya unavailable due to a left ankle injury sustained in the previous game against Bangladesh in Pune, India has introduced Suryakumar Yadav to bolster their batting strength. To compensate for Hardik’s absence and strengthen their bowling, India has brought in Mohammed Shami while omitting the fast-bowling all-rounder Thakur. These two changes imply that India will field just five bowlers in the game against New Zealand, leaving no sixth bowling option available in case one of them has an off day.
Rohit Sharma, after winning the toss, stated, “No particular reason (to bowl first). In training yesterday, we thought dew came in early. Good pitch, shouldn’t change too much. It’s important to keep the momentum going and forget the past. We know the nature of the WC – all teams can beat anyone. This is one place everyone wants to come and play. Picturesque.”
New Zealand’s captain, Tom Latham, commented that he would have also chosen to bowl first, and he confirmed that the team remains unchanged. This means that veteran fast bowler Tim Southee, despite being available for Sunday’s match, is still not part of the playing eleven as he continues to recover from a fractured thumb.
“Looks like a good surface, and we know the dew will come in. The important thing is whatever we do, we need to do well. We need to keep the momentum going. We are in a new ground, new conditions, so we need to adjust to these conditions as quickly as we can. We can’t afford to let our guard down; anyone can beat anyone,” Latham added.
Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (captain & wicket-keeper), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, and Trent Boult.