India Seeks to Break Semi-Final Curse Against New Zealand in World Cup Knockout Clash

There are heartbreaking moments on the trek back to the pavilion. Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have gained momentum with a dive, but Martin Guptill's pinpoint throw from a deep backward square leg left him a pitiful yard short.

It can be difficult to control one's emotions, but the captain of the 2011 World Cup team said more than a year later that he had made the decision to do so as he walked off the pitch at Old Trafford in Manchester in 2019—that game would be his final appearance for his country.

With Dhoni out of the picture, India was eliminated in improbable fashion, with the 50-over contest extending into the second day due to inclement weather. As New Zealand's quicks tore through the top-order, India's top three scorers, K.L. Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, were all out for identical scores of 1. Expectations were heightened by a late push by Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, but it was short lived.

India had experienced a similar fate at the hands of Australia in Sydney four years prior, and the curse of the semi-finals had returned to haunt them in 2019.

The Boys in Blue under Rohit Sharma would do all in their power to avoid an encore on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium. Though there are only five survivors from that tragic confrontation in the Indian changing room, several familiar faces on the Kiwi side are sure to evoke terrible memories from Manchester four seasons ago.

Among those men is skipper Rohit Sharma, who seems unconcerned. Throughout this World Cup, his team has hardly made a mistake, and they haven't lost any of the nine league stage games.

The gamers of today are highly interested in what is happening now and what might occur tomorrow. They make an effort to concentrate on those things. On Tuesday, Rohit remarked, "I don't see them talking about how we won the last World Cup."

The emphasis is on how they can develop as players, what they can contribute to the squad, and what areas they still need to work on, Rohit continued. So that's what makes this group of players so attractive.

But what about the more seasoned players, like him and Kohli?

It's obvious that you are aware of the past in the back of your mind. However, the past is the past and cannot be changed. We normally talk about what you can do today and what you can accomplish tomorrow. Thus, I don't think there's a lot of discussion or controversy about what transpired during the previous World Cup or five years ago," Rohit continued.

There is pressure involved in every World Cup game. There is pressure since it's the World Cup, which makes this evident. However, during the past nine games, we have performed admirably under pressure. The guys' answer was satisfactory. Our game was all that was on our minds.

Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, was reluctant to divulge anything.

"Every match in this competition is difficult. As we've seen thus far, I believe that any squad can defeat any team on any given day. According to Williamson, "For us, it's great to have reached the end and then take a fresh approach because it does start again."

The team is more balanced and has adapted well to an aggressive and fearless brand of cricket under Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid. At the top, Rohit is skilled at expressing himself more openly, and this ability has trickled down the hierarchy.

The "clarity of roles" and "freedom of expression," in the captain's own words, have been the team's main motivators.

After matching the Master at Eden Gardens, Kohli, who never backs down from a challenge, would make an effort to seize the chance to achieve his 50th ODI century in front of Sachin Tendulkar. He was just 12 runs shy of matching Sachin's all-time record 49th century here.

Not only does India's top five score century in this World Cup, but four of them, including Kohli, have done so more than any other team. The brilliant KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have counterbalanced Hardik Pandya's absence.

India had shown in their initial game that they could rise to the situation when, in Chennai, they defeated Australia by six wickets in the second over after falling down by two wickets. Kohli and Rahul worked well together.

The trio of Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah are currently being likened to the all-time greatest in white-ball cricket due to their devastating bowling. Other teams are in awe of this shift since 2019 and are finding it difficult to create strategies to counter them.

Will the management of the New Zealand squad decide to play Ravichandran Ashwin because the team has five left-handers in their lineup? What happens if a bowler has a bad day? When Rachin Ravindra reaches one of his violent rages, who will you turn to?

There is usually extra pressure in a knockout match, but Rohit isn't prepared to ride the talk. His honest response was, "I hope we don't have to deal with such situations and don't need other options."

Rohit's team would undoubtedly rank among the most formidable in terms of performance, balance, and form if they win out. Both Rohit and the other legends are crossing their fingers.

With India's nine-match winning streak in this edition, both Dhoni and Tendulkar have stayed silent and avoided adding to the players' stress.

"I am aware that people frequently say things like, 'Koi pressure mat lena,' which means 'don't take pressure.'" That is not how it operates, Tendulkar had stated.

Dhoni was franker.

"Samjho bhavnao ko..." It's an excellent squad. Team ki bahut achcha balance hai. Well, that's not true at all. I understand that you are upset, but let me ask you to kindly accept my sincere apology. It's a really strong team with excellent balance. Everyone is having a good game. not wanting to elaborate further... For the wise, a tip suffices)," he recently stated.

It's possible that Dhoni is giving the players more time to end the team's two-year semi-final curse.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.