World Cup 2019, India vs New Zealand: Three factors that may bother the Men in Blue

The Indian team has been brilliant so far in the current edition of the World Cup, grabbing the top spot in the points table. The Kiwis, though, have lost their last three to finish fourth.

The Men in Blue have dominated their opponents in all aspects of the game, more often than not at least, and their road to the semi-final has been smooth.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been exceptional with the bat, crafting crucial partnerships together at a brisk pace. Jasprit Bumrah has been outstanding with the ball, while Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya have got wickets at crucial situations.

KL Rahul has been able to partially fill the enormous void that appeared after Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the tournament due to a thumb injury. Moreover, Ravindra Jadeja's impressive performance against Sri Lanka means they have the freedom to chose a variety of bowling lineups.

However, despite all this, here are three factors which may bother India in the semi-final against the Black Caps.

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#3 Rohit Sharma's Awful Record Against Trent Boult

India v New Zealand – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm Up

Rohit Sharma has been India's most bankable player in the tournament so far, amassing over 600 runs and five spectacular centuries -- a world record in a single World Cup.

However, the Indian vice-captain has struggled to stamp his authority against New Zealand left-arm seamer Trent Boult. The Kiwi has dismissed Rohit four times in 12 ODIs, giving away a mere 88 runs (from 136 deliveries). Boult even managed to get the Indian opener in the warm-up game, trapping him LBW for 2.

#2 The Williamson-Taylor Pair

West Indies v New Zealand - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The New Zealand batting unit has struggled throughout the tournament, but captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have been outstanding with the bat. The pair has done the bulk of scoring for the Kiwis, including a couple of 100-plus partnerships for the third wicket in the league stage. Both Williamson and Taylor have good records against India in the limited-overs format, collectively accumulating close to 2000 ODI runs.

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#1 The Out Of Form Indian Middle Order

West Indies v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The Indian batting unit has surely lacked some firepower in the middle-order, which was evident in the latter half of the tournament. The Men in Blue have lacked the final flourish despite having been given a platform to work from on more than one occasion.

Apart from the openers and the Virat Kohli, the Indian batsmen have been very ordinary with the bat. Even MS Dhoni has appeared rusty and has struggled to play the role of a finisher alongside Hardik Pandya, who has been in good touch.

Moreover, the Kiwis have bowled superbly in the World Cup and would certainly test the susceptible Indian middle-order on a fresh pitch.