IND vs NZ Preview: India await Black Caps challenge as two table toppers clash

India will continue their campaign in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as they lock horns with New Zealand on Sunday, October 22 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. The Rohit Sharma-led side is coming into the game having won all of their four fixtures so far and are ranked on the second spot on the points table with eight points to their name.

On the other hand, New Zealand are also having a dominant run in the tournament so far having won all of their four fixtures so far. The Tom Latham-led side are ranked on the top spot of the points table having beaten England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan with eight points to their name.

Notably, New Zealand have had an upper hand over India in ICC events in and will be eager to once again spoil their party on their home soil. On the other hand, India will be desperate to defeat the Kiwis for the first time World Cup since 2003. The contest promises to be a mouth-watering affair as both teams will be fighting for the top spot on the points table.

Pitch Report

Teams chasing have had an upper hand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium as they have won four times out of the seven matches played at the venue. The average first innings score at the venue has been 231 while the highest target chased is 226. However, the numbers don’t give the full picture of how the surface has behaved so far in the tournament.

In the two matches played in the tournament so far, the track has looked great for batting. Furthermore, in the recent day/night fixture between South Africa and the Netherlands, batting under light got a bit tougher as the Proteas ended up losing against the Dutch. Hence, the captain winning the toss is likely to bat first and put a good score on the board first.

Probable Playing XI