India gets its way with pitch demand; Aussie great tips NZ boilover ...

India has been the outstanding team at the 2023 Cricket World Cup so far but New Zealand insist both sides will “start from zero again” when they meet in Wednesday night’s (7.30pm AEDT) semi-final in Mumbai.

Tournament hosts India head into the knockout match having won all nine of their group games, with star man Virat Kohli the event’s leading batsman with 594 runs and captain Rohit Sharma not far behind on 503.

India also boast a formidable bowling line-up however they have been waiting since a 2011 triumph over Sri Lanka in Mumbai to win a third World Cup title, while their last major piece of silverware was the 2013 Champions Trophy.

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New Zealand, losing finalists at the last two 50-over World Cups, won their opening four games of this edition only to lose their next four.

But New Zealand fast bowler Lachie Ferguson told reporters ahead of a training session in Mumbai on Monday: “We kind of all start from zero again. So come Wednesday, it’ll be a good challenge.”

Four years ago, New Zealand defeated India by just 18 runs in a rain-affected World Cup semi-final in Manchester that spanned two days.

The winner of tonight’s match will face either Australia or South Africa in the final, with those teams facing off on Thursday night. Follow all of the build-up and live action from the first semi-final below.

HOSTS GET THEIR WAY WITH PITCH REQUEST

India are certainly making their home ground advantage count, with a slow pitch expected at the Wankhede Stadium after team management reportedly had a request granted by BCCI curators.

The Indian Express reported Indian officials asked BCCI curators to shave off most of the grass on the playing surface, deciding on their preference after the win over the Netherlands in Bengaluru.

A Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official reportedly confirmed to the newspaper a message was conveyed to prepare a slow track before the home team reached Mumbai.

“It won’t be a turner but the team had asked for a slow pitch. It was the main reason we shaved off the grass,” a source told the newspaper.

India have proved hard to beat on slow wickets at home in recent years, and chasing has proved difficult at the Wankhede during the tournament, with Glenn Maxwell’s heroic 200-run knock delivering the only successful pursuit in four games held there.

AUSSIE GREAT TIPS BLACK CAPS UPSET

India are $1.33 favourites but former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is tipping the Black Caps to pull off a stunning upset.

India has not played in a final since 2011 and Haddin believes the hosts will be vulnerable to the swinging ball.

“Just going through the New Zealand team, they can bring you down to their level,” Haddin said on The Back Page.

“They’re one of those teams that no matter how well you’re playing, you sort of play at their level but if (Tim) Southee and (Trent) Boult can swing that new ball that’s that one Achilles heel India has at the top

“If they get it right, I’m not writing off New Zealand and I actually think they’re going to cause an upset.”

SHARMA LEAVES HISTORY IN THE PAST

India captain Rohit Sharma insisted his side’s record of big game defeats by New Zealand was “all in the past” as they prepared for the semi-final.

Tournament hosts India head into Wednesday’s showpiece match at opening batsman Rohit’s Wankhede Stadium home ground as the outstanding side of the 10-tem event, having won all nine of their round-robin games to qualify for the knockout phase in style.

But four years ago a team featuring several of the same players, including Rohit and star batsman Virat Kohli, were members of an India side that suffered an agonising 18-run defeat by New Zealand in a rain-affected World Cup semi-final spanning two days in Manchester.

New Zealand also defeated India in the inaugural 2021 World Test Championship final.

The Wankhede was the venue when India defeated Sri Lanka in a 2011 final to win their second World Cup title following a 1983 triumph in England under captain Kapil Dev.

The build-up to Wednesday’s game has seen much speculation about whether Rohit’s men can join those celebrated teams as World Cup champions of whether New Zealand, who gave India a run for their money before going down by four wickets in pool play, will prove their downfall once again.

Rohit, however, insisted his focus was firmly on the here and now. “That’s the beauty of this team,” he told a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“None of the guys were born when we won our first World Cup and then, when we won our second World Cup in 2011, half of the guys were not even playing the game.” He added: “This current crop of players is very much into what is happening today, what can happen tomorrow...The focus is on how they can get better as a player, what they can bring to the team and the things they can improve.”