World Cup 2019: Three reasons why India will defeat New Zealand in the semi-final

#2 Poor form of New Zealand's openers

England v New Zealand - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

When Martin Guptill and Colin Munro helped New Zealand to a 10-wicket win over the Sri Lankan team in their opening encounter, it seemed like the Kiwi openers will rule the World Cup. However, their performance has only dipped as the tournament has progressed. The fact that New Zealand’s opening pair had one of the worst averages in the group stage signifies the above statement.

Another alarming statistic is that Matt Henry, New Zealand’s premier fast bowler has a better average and strike-rate than the team’s second choice opener, Henry Nicholls (who played two matches in place of Colin Munro).

The opening combination has been the key reason behind the recent failures of the 2015 World Cup runners-up. Guptill and Nicholls/Munro will face Jasprit Bumrah and Co. in the first semifinal so, their woes are likely to continue against one of the best bowlers of the tournament.