India vs New Zealand, semi-final World Cup 2019: Relentless pace, Rohit Sharma's record give New Zealand hope

If there is a way to reach the knockouts, trust the Kiwis to find it with minimum fuss. That is how they have reached four successive World Cup semi-finals. Only this time there has been a hue and cry from Pakistan over the head-to-head record not being considered in the race to the semi-finals. England and Australia cast a few doubts but New Zealand's passage to the knockouts was more or less decided after comprehensive wins in the first four matches. And even though Williamson—for all the right reasons—has been the face of New Zealand's resilience, they couldn't have reached this far without their bowlers. Going into the semi-final, New Zealand can brag about a few significant numbers. Despite not dismissing a side starting with the South Africa game on June 19, only once have New Zealand conceded a 300-plus score in this World Cup, the least among the semi-finalists. Five New Zealand bowlers have an economy rate of five or less, again unrivalled by India, Australia and England. Kohli reveals Dhoni's mind space ahead of semis clash against New Zealand 'Their pacers are very consistent,' Virat Kohli said on Monday. 'Mitchell Santner (left-arm spinner) brings in a lot of control with his skills in the middle overs. They are a team which has always been very consistent, so we know that against them we'll have to be very, very disciplined. At the same time, we will have to play very correct cricket to score runs against them because they are bowling good lines and lengths, and they know what they are doing. So, we have to be sure of what we are doing and that's the kind of challenge the team brings. They put the ball in the right areas and then make you play good shots.' Possessing bowlers who can start well, keep a tight leash on runs in the middle overs and then come out with a quiverful of variations like slow bouncers, cutters and yorkers in the death overs, New Zealand's attack is still as understated as the team. Williamson intends to keep it that way, not picking any particular player for praise but focusing on the collective good work. 'Our attack's performed really well on a real variety of surfaces where taking pace off has been really important, certainly in the round-robin stages on the surfaces we were on, so they have adapted superbly. And we will need to do that again coming into this next match and assess conditions as quickly as possible,' said Williamson. Santner has proved to be a dependable spinner who can tie down the scoring but the key will be how Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham bowl. Especially Ferguson, who has been given the all clear for the semi-final after missing the game against England due to a hamstring problem. Express and aggressive, Ferguson stood out in the tournament for the strategy deployed in dismissing Faf du Plessis in Birmingham—a perfect yorker following a well-directed bouncer. In many ways, Ferguson embodies New Zealand's never-say-die attitude. 'As a team we definitely want to be the scrappers, guys that scrap for wins. Not always do we win pretty but we pride ourselves in our ability to come back from tough situations and give ourselves an opportunity to win,' he said on Sunday. Will India qualify? What happens if India vs NZ semis clash is washed out But the onus on the opening act will be on Trent Boult. A stunning catch of Carlos Brathwaite at long-on gives more reasons to recall Boult's contribution, but he is the essence of New Zealand's bowling for years now—quick, on target and relentless. Irrespective of the toss, New Zealand know India can run away with the game if Boult doesn't get those early breakthroughs. And the buzz, understandably, is about how to dismiss Rohit Sharma, who is yet to score a century against New Zealand away from home. In 12 innings against New Zealand away or at neutral venues, Sharma has averaged less than 33 with a strike rate of 69, both well below his career numbers. The game plan has to revolve around India's top three if New Zealand want to continue their quest to rewrite their World Cup script. Good thing for them is they don't have to look too far back for inspiration. Four days before the World Cup, New Zealand had India tottering on 39/4 before skittling them out for 179 in a warm-up win. Boult took three of those wickets—Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul. Both teams will take lessons from that. And even though Williamson repeatedly stressed on how conditions dictate bowling, a fresh pitch is definitely set to give seamers more hope. There could be some overnight rain too. All New Zealand need to do then is win the toss. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttps://able2know.org/user/royenroyese/