The semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup are all set to take place, after a great 45 games league stage. The first of them is scheduled to be played on 9th July between India and New Zealand at the Old Trafford in Manchester. It’s a venue where all the 5 matches in the mega-events have been won while defending a target. India was solid throughout the league phase.
Apart from their 31-run defeat at the hands of England at the Edgbaston in Birmingham, Virat Kohli and Co have dominated the tournament throughout. And as a result, India is the table toppers with 15 points in 9 matches. The Kane Williamson-captained New Zealand, on the other hand, were unbeaten after their first six matches but slumped to defeats in their last three encounters, reducing to number 4 spot in the points table.
Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistan cricketer, feels that India can go on and lift the World Cup and he wants it to stay in the sub-continent. Moreover, the retired speedster said that the Kiwis can’t hold their nerve where the opponents exert pressure on them.
“New Zealand can’t take the pressure. I hope they don’t choke this time. But I really want the World Cup to stay in the subcontinent and I think, I will back India all the way,” Shoaib said in an episode of his YouTube channel.
Shoaib, who played his last World Cup match against New Zealand in 2011, was also all praise for Rohit Sharma. The Indian batsman is currently the leading run-scorer of the ongoing World Cup with 647 runs at an average of 92.42. The Hitman scored a magnificent ton versus Sri Lanka in Leeds and became the first batsman with five tons in a single edition of the World Cup.
