India Vs New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 1st Semifinal Predicted 11: Lockie Ferguson Fit For Kiwis, Indians To Stick With Same Side

Rohit Sharma’s Team India will take on New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. Indians have won nine successive matches and finished on top of the Points Table in the lead up to the semifinals and will look to continue their winning streak all the way to the third World title.

Team India have stuck with the same playing 11 since all-rounder Hardik Pandya got injured and subsequently ruled out of the World Cup. Pacer Mohammad Shami and batter Suryakumar Yadav have come into the side and have gelled seamlessly into the Playing 11.

Skipper Rohit Sharma tried out nine bowlers in the inconsequential final league match against the Netherlands in Bengaluru last Sunday. The Indian captain informed how team had been looked to try out different options since Pandya’s injury.

“We wanted to change our combination when Hardik got injured. Before that, from the first game we tried to get the rest of the players to bowl. It was important to get the situation right. In the last game, we got the situation where we could try some things. So, it’s good. I mean, there are options, but I hope we don’t need them,” Rohit Sharma said in the pre-match press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday.

New Zealand, on the other hand, finally have everyone fit to play and captain Kane Williamson confirmed that even all-rounder Kyle Jamieson was in the mix to get picked.

“We have to have a look at the surface. Obviously with a squad of 15 and everybody’s fit which is a nice change and yeah look at the pitch and assess from there,” Williamson said in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Pacer Lockie Ferguson has also managed his Achilles injury well and should be part of the experience New Zealand bowling line-up as well along side spearhead Trent Boult. Tim Southee vs Virat Kohli could be a fun battle in the offing. It has produced 205 runs at a strike rate of 101 but also six dismissals as well. Kohli is the highest run-scorer in World Cup 2023 currently with 593 runs in 9 matches.

New Zealand are putting in the hard yards ahead of the semi-finals __ #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/e0joibZumJ — ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 14, 2023

India vs New Zealand, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 1st Semifinal Predicted 11

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult