Pune: Ahead of India's crucial match against New Zealand in Dharamshala on Sunday, former national selector Surendra Bhave said the team must not be complacent and should be raring to go against the Kiwis, which gave India a run for its money in recent times.
So far, India's cricket World Cup run was smooth. The team excellled under Rohit Sharma, who led from the front to help the team win all of their four games in good fashion. The star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will not play against New Zealand as he is unfit. The fixture will be important for India as they would like to extend their winning streak against the Black Caps. According to Bhave, Sunday's match is very important for the national side in terms of its semi-final chances.
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"The next three matches are important for India. India will play against New Zealand, South Africa and England. And these matches are very important. Because all three teams are playing very well. Tomorrow's match is for the semi-final. It is a very important match in terms of qualification. At present, both India and New Zealand are playing well and I see both these teams in the finals," he said in an exclusive chat with ETV Bharat.
Reflecting on India's magnificent campaign in the ICC event so far, Bhave stated that Rohit Sharma has showcased a lot of creativity during his captaincy.
"The Indian team is performing very well. I see a lot of creativity in Rohit Sharma's captaincy. Looking at the current matches, the Indian team's bowling is getting very good. The bowlers are making the job of batters very easy. Players who were unfit before the start of the World Cup are now fit and are performing very well," he added.
Read more: World Cup India versus New Zealand: Dharamsala pitch likely to be paradise for pacers
Bhave also praised India's high fielding standards saying that they are putting their best in the field with brilliant agility and are saving a lot of runs.
India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was injured in the match against Bangladesh at Gahunje in Pune, so he will not be seen playing in the fixture against New Zealand tomorrow.
"Everyone in the team is keeping an eye on Hardik Pandya's injury. There is information that he will return in the match against England. Ashwin and Suryakumar are two good options if the team management wants to have a balanced team. Also, Ishan Kishan has also scored 50 runs in a match. So he can also be given a chance in tomorrow's match. If there is a pitch to make the bowling strong then Ashwin will be brought in and if there is no turning pitch then one of Suryakumar or Ishan will be in the team. Also, if we look at the Dharamsala ground, we can see a good bounce on that ground. Seeing that, Mohammed Shami can also be given a place in the team," he signed off.
