World Cup 2019, Match 18, India vs New Zealand: Why New Zealand will win the match?

There has been a phase of excitement and joy in the cricket universe as the World Cup 2019 has begun in full flow, with all the teams sweating hard to achieve supreme success. India and New Zealand, the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the tournament will face each other in a crunch game at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday.

Led by the aggressive Virat Kohli, India’s World Cup campaign has got off to a dream start, with two wins in two games, including a victory over the defending champions Australia. The cricket fans are now waiting to witness a high-octane battle between India and New Zealand.

Both nations had collided in a warm-up match just before the World Cup, with the game ending in New Zealand’s favor. The Black Caps outplayed the Indian side with their lethal bowling skills. India managed only 179 runs, thanks to a fantastic bowling performance from Trent Boult, who bagged four wickets in the encounter.

Trent Boult could be the X-factor in this game.

The Indian batting line-up has always been in trouble when it comes to facing the left-arm fast bowlers. Their records have not been that great against such bowlers and this will be a matter of concern for India. New Zealand have the game-changer Boult in their side, along with the in-form Jimmy Neesham and Lockie Ferguson.

India also have a major injury concern as their star opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored a sublime century in the last game against Australia, has been ruled out of the tournament for three weeks with a thumb injury. KL Rahul will probably open the innings with Rohit Sharma, which might impact the balance of the middle order, with a new batsman coming in. Dinesh Karthik or Vijay Shankar is expected to replace Dhawan in the starting line-up against New Zealand.

It would be interesting to see how the Indian team play, but New Zealand will have the upper hand heading into the match, thanks to their recent form and Dhawan's injury.

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