India captain Rohit Sharma created a new ODI World Cup record on Wednesday, November 15, as he went past former West Indies batter Chris Gayle's mark of 49 sixes in the showpiece event. Rohit hit his 50th overall six in the tournament off Trent Boult and got India off to a flier against New Zealand in their semi-final clash at Wankhede Stadium. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Preview | Key Battles)
Rohit has had a stupendous run in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 so far, smashing more sixes (28) and fours (62) than any other player on display. On Wednesday, Rohit picked things up from where he left them in the league stage, and clattered four sixes and as many fours to essay a breezy 29-ball 47.
With his 28 sixes in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit has also surpassed Gayle's record of most sixes in a single World Cup edition. Gayle had struck 26 sixes in the 2015 World Cup.
Earlier, India won the toss and chose to bat in the first semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Mumbai. India are playing the same XI as in their previous game against Netherlands, and New Zealand too are unchanged. The toss assumes importance at the Wankhede Stadium where the ball tends to swing a lot more under lights and the average second innings score has been 188 as against 357 in the first innings.
India have had an unbeaten run in the tournament so far, notching up nine wins in the nine league games they have played. The Kiwis, on the other hand, stumbled mid-way in the group stage and scraped into the semi-finals, edging out Pakistan for the fourth spot with five wins out of nine games.
In a reprise of the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final that ended in heartbreak for India, Rohit Sharma's men are taking on New Zealand in the first last-four clash of the 2023 ODI World Cup. India had narrowly lost the 2019 semi-final, with MS Dhoni's run-out imprinted in cricket lovers' memories. The hosts are aiming to leave that loss behind and gun for their third title in the showpiece event after the triumphs of 1983 and 2011.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (C), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
