ICC World Cup 2019: Match 18, India vs New Zealand: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

The rain has taken control of the proceedings of the World Cup. India and New Zealand are set to face-off in match 18 of the tournament amidst the possibility of the encounter getting washed out. Both the teams, however, would be eager to take the field and fight it out for two important points. The Kiwis managed to win the warm-up game against the Men in Blue in which Trent Boult had wreaked havoc under overcast conditions.

India have been dealt with an injury blow ahead of this game with Shikhar Dhawan sustaining the thumb injury. He has been ruled out of this game and KL Rahul will open the innings instead with either Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik filling up the number four slot. The Kiwis might bench Colin Munro, who hasn’t done much in the last three games. Henry Nicholls will most likely replace him in that case.

Match Details

The 18th match of the ICC World Cup 2019 will be played between India and New Zealand at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The match starts at 10:30 am local time (09:30 am GMT) (3:00 pm IST).

The game will be live on Star Sports. Live streaming available on Hotstar.

Weather Report

One can only hope for the rain to stay away. It is expected to rain the whole day in Nottingham on Thursday. Only after 6 pm, the chances of rain will come down to 36%. The game might get abandoned unless the forecast changes dramatically over the next 24 hours. The temperature will hover around 11-12 degrees Celsius according to AccuWeather.

Pitch Report

With the clouds hovering over the Trent Bridge, the pace bowlers are likely to have a say in the game. So far, the pitch has favoured the batters apart from Pakistan’s capitulation against the Windies. If the game goes ahead, it will be extremely hard to score runs. The team winning the toss should opt to bowl first undoubtedly.

Average score batting first: 247 (Three World Cup 2019 matches at the venue)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 1; Lost – 2

Probable Playing XIs

India

KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Vijay Shankar/Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.

Bench – Vijay Shankar/Dinesh Karthik, Mohammed Shami, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja.

New Zealand

Colin Munro/Henry Nicholls, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Bench – Colin Munro/Henry Nicholls, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert.

Team News:

Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of this match due to a thumb injury.

Power Picks

Rohit Sharma in his last four ODI innings – 57, 122*, 56, 95.

This is the first time Rohit has scored four consecutive fifty-plus scores in his ODI career.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Virat Kohli, Trent Boult, Rohit Sharma.

Vice-Captain Options: Ross Taylor, Hardik Pandya, Kane Williamson.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Wicket-Keeper – MS Dhoni

Batsmen – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (C), Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson (VC)

All-Rounders – Hardik Pandya, Colin de Grandhomme

Bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Wicket-Keeper – Tom Latham

Batsmen – Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ross Taylor

All-Rounders – Hardik Pandya (VC), James Neesham

Bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult (C), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.

Expert Advice:

Either of James Neesham and Martin Guptill or Ross Taylor can be picked in one team together if you already have the likes of Kohli, Rohit and Williamson. Having Taylor in the team is beneficial given his consistency while Neesham might not be able to repeat his heroics against India.

Probable Winners

Predicting winner if tough for this match as the team bowling first might have an edge.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

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