World Cup 2019: Semi-final 1, India vs New Zealand: Will the Kiwis win the match?

The group stage of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is done and dusted as the fans now look forward to the knockout stage of the tournament. India, Australia, England and New Zealand have emerged as the top four teams while the other six nations were eliminated in the first round.

In the first semifinal match, title contenders India will lock horns with Kane Williamson’s Black Caps in what promises to be an exciting encounter. New Zealand had defeated India in the warm-up matches, which means they will be high on confidence heading into the semi-final match-up. If we have a closer look at that warm-up match, we learn that the Indian batsmen struggled to tackle the Kiwi pacers. Perhaps the Indian team was playing its first match in England after a long, long time but Trent Boult and Co. deserve the credit for exposing India’s weaknesses.

The venue of the match is Manchester, the same ground which hosted the iconic clash between India and Pakistan. The teams batting first have dominated in this World Cup and the fact that India’s only loss in this tournament has come while chasing, signifies the above statement.

India are the favorites to win this match given the way they performed in the group stage but New Zealand can create troubles for them if they get a chance to bat first. In case they can post a 300+ score, then it will be very challenging for the Men in Blue to win the match. As mentioned before, New Zealand’s fast bowlers have troubled India's top order in the past and with the added pressure of the required run-rate, the fast bowlers can become lethal.

If India bats first, then New Zealand will have a negligible chance of reaching their second consecutive World Cup final, but, the probability will increase if they bat first put runs on the board.

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