India face New Zealand in World Cup today

DHARAMSHALA, Oct 21 (Agencies): India are set to face a crunch clash against New Zealand without Hardik Pandya when the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 pacesetters meet on Sunday.
The India all-rounder will miss India's top-of-the-table clash with New Zealand due to an ankle injury sustained in the seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
Though New Zealand and India have eight points each, a superior net run rate means the Blackcaps are ahead of the hosts'. For India, the odds are stacked up against them - they haven't won over New Zealand in an ODI World Cup match in last 20 years and are in a corridor of uncertainty over their combination in Hardik Pandya's absence.
There was a moment of nervousness crossing the minds of various onlookers when Pandya sustained the left ankle injury while trying to stop the ball on his follow-through during the league stage match against Bangladesh in Pune, and didn't participate in the rest of the match.
With him advised rest and not traveling to Dharamshala, with an expectation to join the Indian team in Lucknow ahead of clash against England on October 29, the team think-tank now has to ponder over the best combination it can get as a makeshift measure in the absence of the absolutely irreplaceable Pandya.
With him not available, India need at least two players to fill in for Pandya's all-round abilities. Pacer Mohammed Shami can get a look in, so as either of Ishan Kishan or Suryakumar Yadav to bolster the batting strength.
It remains to be seen if Shardul Thakur, the person closest to Pandya's skillsets, will be retained in the seam-friendly venue or Ravichandran Ashwin can come in, as Dharamshala has also shown to help spinners too in its previous games.
Apart from this, India have been great in every aspect, though Mohammed Siraj has been a little expensive with the ball. Captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have been among the runs in every match.
Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have proved to be strike-makers with the ball, with the spin duo giving India the desired control and scalps for winning the middle-overs phase.
On the other hand, despite injuries to regular captain Kane Williamson and veteran pacer Tim Southee, New Zealand have been in top form. Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mithcell, Will Young and Glenn Phillips have made match-winning contributions with the bat.
With the ball, left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner, currently the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 11 scalps, will prove to be the key for New Zealand to stop rampaging Indian batters. Fast-bowlers Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult are potent in tearing through the batting line-ups in various phases of the game.
Despite Williamson and Pandya unavailable for Sunday's clash, the recent form of players in both India and New Zealand camps makes the match at HPCA stadium a blockbuster prospect. It promises edge-of-the-seat battles between the bat and ball to leave fans in awe of the action on the field from a cricketing and aesthetics point of view.
India and New Zealand are the only undefeated teams left in the tournament as both sides have made an early statement with four comprehensive victories.
Their clash in Dharamsala on 22 October looms as one of the most anticipated matches of the group stage as both teams eye top spot in the Cricket World Cup Standings.
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham on Saturday said hosts India have been playing "fantastic cricket" and the Kiwis will need to adapt quickly to win the battle of World Cup table-toppers.
Both teams come into the contest unbeaten in their four matches and now meet in the Himalayan hill town of Dharamsala to get ahead of each other in the race to the semi-finals.
New Zealand have an edge over India in World Cup match-ups with a 5-3 advantage and knocked out the much-fancied team in the semi-finals of the last edition in 2019.
"I'm not sure to be honest," Latham, who is leading the side in the absence of the injured Kane Williamson, said on his team's good record against India at the 50-over showpiece.
"They're a fantastic team. They've been playing some great cricket for a long period of time. We've had some great contests in ICC events, but also in bilateral series, whether that be home or away."
New Zealand reached the final of the last two World Cups but lost to Australia in 2015 and then England four years ago.
"Being adaptable is probably one of the most important things for us as a group and trying to do that as quick as possible," Latham told reporters.
"Obviously with this format you play everyone once which is unique to 2015 where it was pool play."
Latham, a wicketkeeper-batsman, added: "So yeah, again we're in India, we're offered different conditions that we're used to. So, adaptability, sticking to our plan as best you can."
Squads: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (vice-captain & wicket-keeper), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee and Will Young