ICC World Cup 2023: ‘They are tactically very strong,' says Rohit Sharma ahead of India vs New Zealand

India and New Zealand, the two unbeaten teams so far in the World Cup 2023, will take on each other at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday. New Zealand have dominated India in the ICC event for two decades as 'Men In Blue' have not won a single match in the World Cup since 2003. Rohit Sharma-led team would like to change that history today when they take on the Kiwis.     

Ahead of this much-awaited clash, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma spoke to the broadcasters about the match and said that it takes a lot of effort to defeat a team like New Zealand, who are tactically a very good side. "I think when I talk about tactical...New Zealand comes to my mind. I feel they are tactically very strong they bat according to the plans that have been given to them. When you play against them you know some sort of planning has been done against each individual," said Sharma ahead of the game.

India and New Zealand have a 58-50 head-to-head record, although the Blackcaps appear to have the upper hand in ICC events. Twenty years have passed since India's victory over New Zealand in an ICC tournament, which began following their World Cup victory in 2003. New Zealand won both the T20 World Cup and the inaugural World Test Championship final after losing the 2019 World Cup to India. 

Sharma said India needed to address the matter and figure out why they had such a record against New Zealand. "They have beaten us in the ICC tournaments regularly, so for us, it is important that we try to understand the situation first what we need to do as individuals and try to play the game," Sharma said on Star Sports.

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team is already facing challenges after Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan sustained injuries during an optional net session in Dharamsala on Saturday. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, who got injured in the last match against Bangladesh, Yadav was expected to fill up the middle-order batting role.

Also Read: World Cup 2023 match today: Rohit Sharma-led India vs Tom Latham-led New Zealand, Hardik Pandya ruled out, IND vs NZ Key players, World Cup squads, toss timings, live streaming details