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India vs New Zealand betting tips:
- Matt Henry to take two or more wickets – 7/5 Betway
- Virat Kohli to score over 39.5 runs – 1/1 Unibet
- No century to be scored in the game – 1/1 bet365
The last two unbeaten teams in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will face off Sunday when India take on New Zealand at Dharamshala (9.30am, Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event).
India produced yet another dominant performance to secure their fourth win of the tournament last time out, brushing aside Bangladesh with ease.
Virat Kohli notched his first century of the 2023 World Cup to help his side over the line in their chase, securing a seven-wicket win.
Worryingly for the other nations in the tournament, India have barely had to move out of first gear to top the standings, highlighting their status as favourites with the UK bookmakers.
New Zealand have proven that they’re strong contenders for the title too, winning all four of their matches without being pressed by any of their opponents.
Facing India will be their toughest game to date, especially without skipper Kane Williamson.
But, the Black Caps regularly punch above their weight and beat Rohit Sharma’s men in their last World Cup meeting in the 2019 semi-finals.
After looking at the latest Cricket World Cup odds, here are our predictions for the clash.
Can Henry star again?
In the 2019 World Cup semi-final, New Zealand posted a modest 239 for eight from their 50 overs, which India’s talented batting line-up would have licked their lips at chasing.
But, the Black Caps came out firing with the ball as Matt Henry and Trent Boult tore through the top order. Boult got the wicket of Kohli, but Henry started the procession by removing Sharma and Lokesh Rahul in a devastating new-ball spell.
Given the way India have been playing so far, the Black Caps will need a similar effort from Henry and Boult. Henry has been in good form at the World Cup to date, striking nine times in four games.
He was used sparingly in New Zealand’s win over Afghanistan after taking the key wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Stand-in skipper Tom Latham would relish another decisive impact at the top.
We’re backing Henry to take two or more wickets at odds of 7/5 with Betway.
Kohli ready to keep firing
Kohli displayed his class against Bangladesh, scoring an unbeaten hundred that allowed his team to secure a comfortable win.
He now has two fifties and a century at the World Cup as he seeks to make his mark on the tournament and will have his sights firmly set on chasing down Sharma as India’s leading runscorer.
When India needed a performance from Kohli in 2019 he failed to deliver as he was outperformed by his opposite number Williamson.
He may not need to dominate the New Zealand bowlers, but he will be judged on the value of his runs against the Black Caps.
The contest may not be a high-scoring game amid the quality of two talented bowling line-ups and one good innings could make all the difference
Kohli is in prime form to make that kind of decisive impact and we're taking him at odds of 1/1 with Unibet to score over 39.5 runs.
No century to be scored in Dharamshala
Each team has had two centurions in the competition to date as New Zealand's Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra posted tons against England, while Sharma and Kohli have passed three figures for India.
However, New Zealand’s batting line-up does look short on ODI experience without Williamson. It was the Black Caps skipper and Ross Taylor who were the driving forces in their semi-final win in 2019, and now neither are in the Black Caps' ranks.
Latham does have the experience in the middle order and a good record against India, but Sharma and his team have been bowling and fielding extremely well to restrict their opponents to under totals of 300.
New Zealand have a fine fielding and bowling unit too, especially their pace attack with Boult, Henry and Lockie Ferguson.
There are no weak links in the chain for either side, so batting for big runs could be a tough prospect. We’re going to back no century to be scored in the game with our final bet at odds of 1/1 with bet365.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
