Mumbai: The ICC World Cup 2019 is less than a week away, and the anticipation and excitement are expanding with every passing day. The tournament will kick off from May 30, where hosts England will battle South Africa at the oval.
Before the initiation of the mega-event, all teams are set to play two warm-up matches each.
India will encounter New Zealand at Oval, London in their first warm-up match.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are set to open the Indian batting line-up, along with Kohli anchoring the team at number three spot.
Reportedly, Vijay Shankar who was a candidate for the number four spot got injured in the nets. The number four spot still remains a dilemma for the Indian batting line-up. KL Rahul will also be fighting for the number four spot. Both Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar will be missing the warm-up match.
India's lower order will comprise match-winners like MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya.
The team's bowling department will be led by the pace trio of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. India also has many options in the spin department. Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja will be looking to leave their mark at the mega-event.
The New Zealand team, led by Kane Williamson is also in sublime form in ODIs and were also successful in reaching finals of the previous World Cup. The Black Caps will be looking to replicate their successful run of World Cup 2015. However, New Zealand will miss the service of Tom Latham due to injury.
Both the teams will be looking forward to adapting the English conditions. Flat pitches in English summer will aid the batsmen to post a huge score on the scoreboard.
Live Updates:
39.2 Overs: WICKET! Boult grabs his fourth by dismissing Kuldeep Yadav. India manages to post 179 on the scoreboard.
38.1 Overs: WICKET! Jadeja departs after scoring a crucial half-century. Lockie Ferguson scalps his first wicket of the match.
28.4 Overs: WICKET! Neesham grabs his third. Ross Taylor takes a blinder to dismiss Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
22.3 Overs: WICKET! Southee dismisses Dhoni. He steps out and tries to unsettle the bowler, but he only manages to flick is straight to Neesham.
19.4 Overs: WICKET! Neesham strikes twice as Karthik departs for 4. Ish Sodhi takes the catch of Dinesh Karthik.
19.1 Overs: WICKET! Hardik Pandya is out. Neesham snaps Pandya as he nicks the ball to Tom Blundell.
10.3 Overs: WICKET! Kohli departs for 18. Grandhomme nets the big fish by bowling him out.
5.2 Overs: WiCKET!Boult gets his third as KL departs for 6.
3.1 Overs: WICKET! Boult gets another wicket as Dhawan gets caught by Tom Blundell.
1.2 Overs: WICKET! Good start from Trent Boult as he traps Rohit Sharma just above the knee roll. Sharma departs after scoring 2 runs.
Toss: India won the toss and elected to bat first.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Lokesh Rahul, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand: Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson(c), Tom Blundell(w), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi
When is the match?
The match is scheduled to start at 3 pm IST on Saturday. (May 25)
Where is the match?
The match will take place at Kennington Oval, London.
Live Telecast:
Star India has acquired the rights of telecasting the tournament, and the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports Channel.
The matches can be viewed live on Hostar as well.
