India Vs New Zealand Semi-Final, Stats Preview: Approaching Records, League Results, Individual Feats And More

It's an India vs New Zealand semi-final redux. Four years ago, at Manchester's Old Trafford, the two cricketing power-houses engaged in a slugfest which lasted two days. The Kiwis outlasted their rivals amid rain stoppages. On Wednesday (November 15, 2023), they will go head-to-head in the first semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. (Preview | Match Blog | Scorecard | Key Battles | Streaming)

India, having won nine in nine, have assumed the cricketing avatar of the proverbial Juggernaut and if their league form is any indication, Rohit Sharma & Co. would steamroll New Zealand -- a team they had defeated rather comfortably earlier in the tournament. There is one unmissable caveat though. The Black Caps always seem to find a way to beat Men In Blue in ICC events. With that here's a look at the IND Vs NZ statistical preview:

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How teams qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals

The following teams have emerged from the league stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as top-four sides based on the points and NRR (Net Run Rate). Each team played nine matches. India occupied first place with nine wins, no losses, 18 points and an NRR of 2.570. New Zealand occupied fourth place with five wins, four losses, 10 points and an NRR of 0.743.

India's path to semi-finals

Oct 08, 2023 - 5th Match - India beat Australia by six wickets
Oct 11, 2023 - 9th Match - India beat Afghanistan by eight wickets
Oct 14, 2023 - 12th Match - India beat Pakistan by seven wickets
Oct 19, 2023 - 17th Match - India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets
Oct 22, 2023 - 21st Match - India beat New Zealand by four wickets
Oct 29, 2023 - 29th Match - India beat England by 100 runs
Nov 02, 2023 - 33rd Match - India beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs
Nov 05, 2023 - 37th Match - India beat South Africa by 243 runs
Nov 12, 2023 - 45th Match - India beat the Netherlands by 160 runs

New Zealand's path to semi-finals

Oct 05, 2023 - 1st Match - New Zealand beat England by nine wickets
Oct 09, 2023 - 6th Match - New Zealand beat Netherlands by 99 runs
Oct 13, 2023 - 11th Match - New Zealand beat Bangladesh by eight wickets
Oct 18, 2023 - 16th Match - New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 149 runs
Oct 22, 2023 - 21st Match - New Zealand lost to India by four wickets
Oct 28, 2023 - 27th Match - New Zealand lost to Australia by five runs
Nov 01, 2023 - 32nd Match - New Zealand lost to South Africa by 190 runs
Nov 04, 2023 - 35th Match - New Zealand lost to Pakistan by 21 runs (DLS)
Nov 09, 2023 - 41st Match - New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by five wickets

Approaching milestones

The following are a few approaching milestones ahead of the IND vs NZ semi-final match:

- Virat Kohli has an aggregate of 594 runs in the ODI World Cup 2023 and requires six more runs to reach 600. If he gets them, he will become the sixth batter in the history of the World Cup to total 600 runs in a single edition. Others are – Sachin Tendulkar (673 in 2003), Matthew Hayden (659 in 2007), Rohit Sharma (648 in 2019), David Warner (647 in 2019) and Shakib Al Hasan (606 in 2019).

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- Mohammed Shami has an aggregate of 47 wickets in the ODI World Cups. With three more wickets, he will become the seventh bowler to take 50 or more wickets in the tournament's history.

- If Mohammed Shami takes three wickets in the IND vs NZ semi-final at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, this game would become the first in the history of the World Cup to feature two rival bowlers with 50 or more wickets. Trent Boult of New Zealand already has 52 wickets to his credit in the World Cup.

- Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand has an aggregate of 565 runs in this edition of the ODI World Cup. He needs 35 more runs to reach 600. If Ravindra gets it, he will become the first New Zealand batter to score 600-plus runs in an edition of the World Cup. In that case, he would also become the first batter to score 600 runs or more in a debut World Cup campaign.

- If Virat Kohli and Rachin Ravindra reach their respective 600 runs in this IND vs NZ clash, then this game would become the first match in the history of the World Cup to have two rival batters with 600 runs or more in a single edition.

- Virat Kohli has scored 14 fifties against New Zealand in One-Day Internationals. One more fifty would and he will create a new record, becoming the first Indian batter to score 15 fifties against the Kiwis in the 50-over format. In that case, the former India captain will also become the second batter to score 15 fifties against New Zealand in ODIs, after Australia legend Ricky Ponting (18 fifties).

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- Virat Kohli has only scored 96 runs against New Zealand in the World Cup. With four more runs, he will become the sixth Indian batter to total 100 or more runs against the Black Caps in the World Cup.

- Indian batters have posted 44 three-figure partnerships in the World Cup. One more and India will become only the second team to have 45 three-figure stands in the World Cup. Australia have 57 such stands in ODI World Cups.

- Indian batters have four three-figure partnerships against New Zealand in the World Cup. One more and India will become the third team to post five or more three-figure stands against the Kiwis in the World Cup after Australia (7) and Pakistan (5) -- both against England.

- Ravindra Jadeja has captured 27 wickets in the World Cup. Three more wickets and he will become the fourth left-arm spinner to take 30 or more wickets. Others are – Shakib Al Hasan (43), Daniel Vettori (36) and Brad Hogg (34). Jadeja can also become the ninth spinner to capture 30-plus wickets in the World Cup. 

- Virat Kohli needs one more century to match Sachin Tendulkar's record for most ODI centuries. If Kohli scores a century against New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday, he will become the sixth batter in the history of the World Cup to score five or more centuries. Others are – Rohit Sharma (7), Tendulkar (6), David Warner (6), Ricky Ponting (5) and Kumar Sangakkara (5).

Consequently, he would become the third batter to score three or more centuries in the World Cup 2023. Others are – Quinton de Kock (4) and Rachin Ravindra (3).

Stats courtesy: HR Gopala Krishna – Veteran cricket statistician