Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, have landed in Dharamshala ahead of what looms as a blockbuster clash against New Zealand on Sunday at the picturesque stadium in the city. Both teams have won all their 4 matches and are table-toppers, looking to make it 5 victories in a row and firming their spot in the 2023 World Cup knockouts.
Rohit Sharma's men are coming off a resounding seven-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Mahrashtra Cricket Association in Pune. Although Bangladesh openers Tanzid Hasan and Litton Das made a blistering start, the spinners pulled them back to restrict to 257 in their allotted 50 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was particularly impressive with figures of 10-0-38-2. Later, Virat Kohli slammed his 48th ODI hundred to take India to victory with over 50 balls to spare.
Hardik Pandya to miss the critical clash against New Zealand:
The Men in Blue's high-flying World Cup campaign received a blow as the BCCI confirmed that Hardik Pandya will miss the clash against the Kiwis due to his ankle injury. The Baroda-born all-rounder sustained the injury while bowling against Bangladesh and hobbled off the ground midway. He didn't bowl apart from the 3 balls in his opening over as Virat Kohli strode in to complete it.
The last time these two teams met in a 50-over World Cup fixture, the Kiwis inflicted a heartbreaking defeat on the Men in Blue in the semi-final, knocking them out of the competition.
