India will take on New Zealand in a high octane clash at Dharmashala for the 21st oDI of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
India will take on New Zealand in a high-octane clash at Dharmashala for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. There have been a lot of players who have shown their talent in this contest. Moreover, both teams are coming on the back of an extraordinary run of form. Let us look at some of the best players who will be important:
For the Kiwis, Conway will be the vital cog in the batting lineup. Conway’s ability to play spin definitely puts him at the top of the list. Moreover, this will definitely help the Kiwis against a fearsome spin attack that India has. An attacking left-handed batsman who relishes batting at the top in limited-overs cricket, Conway is also an efficient wicketkeeper. Over the years, Conway has become a reliable opening batsman, first with Guptill and now with Ravindra. Consistency and composure are Conway’s best allies, and his average in all three formats. Conway continued this in the match against England as he stitched a 273-run opening partnership with Rachin Ravindra. With a strike rate of 125.62, Conway batted and battered England who are the defending champions. Naturally, in the match against the Netherlands, he will be expected to notch up another ton.
The Kiwis are at the top of the points table not only because of successful spin bowling but also an effective pace department. This time the pace department is led by their main strike bowler Trent Boult who has an economy of only 4.94. Over the last few years, Boult has been a rather silent assassin as his numbers have been phenomenal, to say the least. In the last few years, Boult has made an extraordinary partnership with Southee and at times Matt Henry. Boult finished joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2015 World Cup with 22 scalps. His memorable spell of 5-28 is still fresh in the memory of the fans around. Although he was not able to finish the job in the 2015 & 2019 World Cup, the left-hander will look to get it done this time around. Naturally, the Dutch batsmen will be tested against some fiery pace.
The next name on the list is India’s talismanic batsman, King Kohli. Over the years, Virat Kohli has been regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world. Since his 2008 international debut, he has consistently performed for India in all three of the game’s formats. Kohli has a plethora of records which includes 76 centuries in all formats of cricket. Moreover, when it comes to ODI’s he has a whopping 13168 runs in 282 matches. Simultaneously, Kohli has also become India’s ‘chase master’. This was evident in the match against Australia in Chennai at the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. India was tottering at 2 runs for 3 wickets from where Kohli rescued the team with his 85-run innings. Thereby Kohli also broke Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI record for most runs scored in successful run-chases. With Kohli’s form, the Indian batting lineup looks much more settled. Although Kohli fell cheaply against Pakistan, he will be pumped up against Bangladesh.
Shubman Gill is one of the promising Indian cricketers and the new rising star. Gill served as the vice-captain of the Indian Under-19 cricket team in 2018 for which he won the Player of the Tournament award. His match-winning 102 not out in the semi-final against arch-rivals Pakistan U-19 drew praises from batting greats such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly. Shubhman holds the record for the youngest cricketer to score a double century in One Day International. Moreover, he has the highest T20I score by an individual for the Indian team. He made his international debut in January 2019. In 2022, Gill was part of the IPL championship-winning Gujarat Titans team. Subsequently, Gill went on to win the 2023 IPL Orange Cap after scoring 890 runs. Interestingly, this was the second-highest total in IPL history which included three centuries. Batting at the top, Gill will be a key batsman at the top of the order for the men in blue.
The Pace department of India has seen a resurgence in recent years after the likes of Zaheer Khan and RP Singh. India’s performance in the death has also improved over the years. The credit for both of these has to go to India’s number one pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Boom Boom Bumrah, as he is known, was one of the most successful bowlers in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians. Moreover, Jasprit Bumrah is known for his unique bowling action and ability to bowl yorkers to the death. Bumrah has consistently bowled at a speed of 140–145 km/h. Over the years, Bumrah has achieved a plethora of records which has placed him at the top of the pace department. Bumrah has already shown his magic against the likes of Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan & Bangladesh. Likewise, Bumrah will be expected to repeat his magic against the Kiwis.
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