India opt to bat first in first semifinal against New Zealand; both teams unchanged
The Indian captain reckons that this looks like a good pitch, a little on the slower side.
Rohit Sharma has won the toss and said that India will bat first. Both India and New Zealand are playing with the same teams that they fielded in their final group-stage games.
India vs New Zealand. No one, especially for an Indian cricket fan, can forget the night of July 10, 2019, when with a heartbreaking run-out of MS Dhoni, which also marked the great man's last international appearance, India's marauding World Cup campaign came to a screeching halt. They were the toppers at the conclusion of the league stage, having lost just one game to England, India came short on the reserve day as '40 minutes of bad cricket' sent them crashing out.
It was a blow to the gut and even Virat Kohli couldn't hide his emotions in the press conference.
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Four years later, as fate would have it, the two teams are back taking center-stage at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
Rohit remarked this is a very important day saying New Zealand are a very strong side.
"New Zealand is one of the most consistent sides. A very important day. Constantly, talking about how important it is to turn up on that day. It is about controlling the controllables," he said at the toss.
The Indian captain reckons that this looks like a good pitch, a little on the slower side.
Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson said they would have liked to bat first as well.
"We would have batted first. Looks like a used pitch. We would want to do well with the ball and then hopefully, some dew later. Amazing occasion. Four years ago, similar situation but a different location. They have been playing some good cricket. Always a building phase between the tournaments. Need to assess what is in front of you when the tournament starts," Kane said at the toss.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Mark Chapman, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
