Kohli hails 'professional and well-structured' New Zealand as India gear up for marquee World Cup clash

India and New Zealand – two unbeaten teams in this World Cup so far, will lock horns on Sunday (Oct 22) at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. As veteran batter Virat Kohli gears up for a fierce contest against India’s toughest opponents at the top stage, he talks highly of a ‘professional and a well-structured’ Kiwi team that has, much like India, clicked all boxes in their four contested matches in World Cup 2023.

With all eyeballs on this marquee World Cup clash in Dharamsala – a venue that assists seamers with extra movement in the air and off the pitch, Virat will look forward to putting past demons behind and scoring big against the best seam attack in this tournament.

With New Zealand gaining an advantage over India with better performances on the past two occasions in ICC events (2019 CWC semis and 2021 WTC Final), the home team can correct their mistakes and write history on a new day.

Speaking to the host broadcaster on the day of the match, Kohli hailed the high-flying New Zealand team, saying they don’t make many mistakes and play consistent cricket within their structure, resulting in their success at the top level.

"They are a very professional side and a very structured side; they have a very structured way of playing their cricket. But within that structure, they have been very consistent, and that has been the reason for their success,” Kohli told Star Sports ahead of the India-New Zealand World Cup match.

“Credit to the side for the way that they are playing. Any team that plays against them has to find a way to break their rhythm and play to the best of their abilities, which will eventually decide whether you can cope up with their consistency or not because they are not a team that makes many mistakes.

“That's been their strength, and at the international level, if you don't make many mistakes, then you have a good chance of winning the game more often," Kohli added.

Indian batters vs Kiwi bowlers

It is the contest the world is craving to watch – the Kiwi bowlers against the star-studded Indian batting attack. From Matt Henry vs Rohit Sharma to Trent Boult vs King Kohli, several player battles will make headlines on Sunday.

With Indian batters in top-notch form, given how well Rohit and Kohli have played in this tournament, the home team will enter this contest as slight favourites.

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