India vs New Zealand, World Cup Semi-Final: Face-Off, Virat Kohli vs Lockie Ferguson
Unless injury keeps Lockie Ferguson out, he will be deployed to fire his howitzers at the Indian batting, with Virat Kohli in the key No. 3 position to counter the assault.
Highlights
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Virat Kohli has scored 441 runs in eight innings of World Cup 2019
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Lockie Ferguson has picked up 17 wickets in 7 matches
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Virat Kohli has been scoring at a strike rate of over 95
Virat Kohli, by his own standards, would be a little peeved that he hasn't been able to convert even one of his many good knocks into a triple figure score. The Indian skipper has scored 441 runs from eight innings, but not once has he been able to get past the 100-mark, which will surely be playing on his mind, especially with his colleague Rohit Sharma picking off centuries as a pastime. So much so that Kohli's individual highest does not even feature among the top 50 scores in World Cup 2019! But the Indian skipper has been scoring at a strike rate of over 95.
Lockie Ferguson, who was out injured in New Zealand's last league efforts, has however has been at the business end of things when fit. He is just outside the top 5 bowlers in World Cup 2019, with 17 wickets in 7 matches.
If Ferguson is even 90 per cent fit, there is no doubt that he will be unleashed on the Indian batsmen, especially with the Manchester weather promising an overcast sky.
If that is the case, it could well be left to Virat Kohli to tackle this menace, with the Indian skipper manning the crucial No. 3 position and none of the batsmen behind him showing much promise. So this could be a critical contest.
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
Lockie Ferguson
Old Trafford, Manchester