New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has warned an “exceptional” India that their imperious group stage form will count for nothing when the two countries meet in Wednesday's Cricket World Cup semi-final.
India came into the tournament as red-hot favourites almost six weeks ago and have hammered home their credentials with a dominant campaign thus far, winning all nine of their pool stage matches.
The Black Caps, by contrast, snuck into the semi-finals in fourth place, with all five of their wins coming against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table.
The contrast in form means the 2019 runners-up go into Wednesday’s game in Mumbai as heavy underdogs, but Williamson believes both teams begin with a blank slate now that knockout cricket has finally arrived.
“We know it’s going to be a really tough challenge,” Williamson said. “They’re a side playing extremely well but we also know that come finals time everything starts again. It’s all about the day.”
There are echoes of the 2019 tournament, when the sides again finished first and fourth in the pool stage, only for New Zealand to spring a semi-final upset in a rain-affected game that spanned two days at Old Trafford.
"Every game in this tournament is a tricky one,” Williamson continued. “Any team can beat anybody on the day. For us, it’s great to have got to the final stages and the take a fresh approach because it does start again.
“India have been exceptional. They’re one of, if not the best team going around and they’re playing cricket that matches that. But we know that on our best day, when we play our best cricket, it certainly gives us a chance and come finals time anything can happen.”
Batting first is likely to be key to New Zealand’s hopes of a surprise result at the Wankhede Stadium, where facing the new ball under lights has been tough, while Williamson is also hoping the tournament’s breakout star, Rachin Ravindra, can continue his dazzling form.
The 23-year-old, who was born in New Zealand to Indian parents, has scored 565 runs, including three centuries, so far in the tournament and last week surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in a single World Cup by a batter under the age of 25.
“[He’s been] quite incredible really, burst onto the scene and in a big way,” Williamson added. “To do what he's done so far in this tournament with his feet firmly on the ground has been really, really special, and as we've all seen, he's an incredibly special and talented player and a fantastic individual in the environment.
"It's not just the volume of runs that he's achieved so far but how he's been scoring them and how it's been geared towards trying to move the team forward.
"Some fantastic contributions so far and at such a young age and I'm sure we'll see plenty more of it to come.”
