New Zealand are embracing their underdog status leading up to the World Cup semi-final against an India team whose captain, Virat Kohli, gave off the air of a man already planning for a potential final at Lord’s on Sunday.
Kohli, whose side were billeted to Manchester after avoiding a last-four meeting with the hosts, England, at Edgbaston following Australia’s defeat by South Africa on Saturday evening, said: “We have achieved the first goal – to qualify for the semis. That gives you an extra boost of energy. Now we can focus totally on the remaining two games we have in the tournament and try to bring our A-game and take up the intensity even more.”
Unlike the football World Cup, where there is a third-place play-off, no such match exists in this tournament so India, who topped the round-robin group stage, have to beat New Zealand at Old Trafford on Tuesday to ensure they actually do play two more games.
Kane Williamson, Kohli’s opposite number, has made it clear his team are not here to make up the numbers despite only scraping into the semi‑finals ahead of Pakistan on net run rate after three successive defeats.
A reversion to the attacking style that helped them reach the final of this tournament four years ago may be aided by a surface at Old Trafford that should be the most batting‑friendly New Zealand have encountered at this World Cup.
“I think for everybody it sort of starts fresh after what was a very tough round-robin stage,” Williamson said. “I know the guys are really excited by the opportunity to go out and try and play with that freedom that gives us the best chance. If we are able to do that, who knows what the future holds for us?
“It is about the cricket we want to play and if we are able to do that to the best of our abilities, then we know we can beat anybody. Every side in this top four has beaten each other on a number of occasions. Although we have qualified fourth, we definitely deserve to be here.”
The expectation on India, who can expect at least 80% of the Old Trafford crowd to be backing them, will be intense. “For the Indian team, every game is full of pressure, so we have never felt like any game has been easy for us at all,” Kohli said.
Williamson and New Zealand will hope to exploit that to the full.
