DUBAI – New Zealand on Sunday won the toss and chose to field first against India as the much-anticipated match is crucial for both teams, although both have already secured their spots in the semifinals.
Men in Blue already booked their place in the knockout stages with back-to-back wins over Bangladesh and arch-rivals Pakistan. Similarly, New Zealand earned their semifinal berth with victories over Pakistan and Bangladesh. The winner of today’s match will claim the top spot in the group, determining who they face in the semifinals.
India’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Varun Chakravarthy, and Washington Sundar.
New Zealand’s Playing XI: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, and Will Young.
With both teams already through to the semifinals, the match is more about securing top position in the group. India holds a dominant ODI record against New Zealand, having won 60 of their 118 encounters, while New Zealand has claimed 50 victories. The most recent ODI between the two teams saw India triumph by 70 runs in the 2023 World Cup semifinal.
The game is expected to be a thrilling contest, with both teams keen to finish at the top of the group and head into the knockout rounds with momentum.
