Kohli: "It is disappointing not to get any game time at all. From the players point of view and where the teams are placed, it was better suited not to take the field when it is not safe to play. Don't want an injury at this stage. We've been playing some good cricket, we're not too worried about where we stand.
"Having two wins does give you confidence. A couple of practice sessions and we should be fine. It's only about getting game time and that should happen on Sunday. (On the Indo-Pak rivalry) As soon as you enter the field, it's all calm. All the excitement and frenzy around the game could intimidate guys who are playing for the first time. For us, it's about executing our skills and we're all professionals.
"It's been competitive for a while now, it's been a marquee event and it's an honor to be a part of such an event. Dhawan's gonna be in a plaster for a couple of weeks and then, we'll assess where he stands. Hopefully he heals quickly and should be available for the latter half of our league stages, and the semifinals as well."
Williamson: "We have been here for four days and haven't seen any sun, so doesn't come as a too much of a surprise for us. You just try and get what you need off it. Not ideal and at the same time little bit of time off is also very important in these tournaments. We do have a little break now which I guess is an interesting period sort of midway through the tournament, a good chance for us to freshen up and look forward to the next challenge."
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The Match has been abandoned without a ball being bowled. We have the fourth washout of this edition, third instance where a single ball wasn't bowled. Both teams split points. India now travels to Manchester where it will take on arch-rival Pakistan, weather permitting. That would be all from our side.
Night!
The umpires are out there for an inspection. We will have an update soon.
"Raining again, bring on the umbrellas and a warm fire-place," pings KCV. Hopes of having a match quickly fading away.
UPDATE: Umpires are out on the ground, inspecting the outfield . Super soppers continue to do their job . Next inspection at 6 pm IST; lunch has been taken: informs KCV. Rains are back ....
UPDATE: It has stopped raining . The covers are coming off. The umpires are doing the rounds, inspecting the ground; pings KCV. Next inspection at 5 pm IST, still dull skies; pings KCV.
UPDATE: The rains are back. So are the covers, and the inspection has been delayed.
UPDATE : The covers were removed briefly but they are back. It is raining out here, pings KCV. The next inspection will be at 4 pm IST.
As we wait for the rains to abate, the Creedence song comes to mind!
"As long as I remember
The rain's been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin'
Confusion on the ground"
JUST IN: Toss has been delayed. There will be an inspection at 3 pm IST, BCCI has tweeted.
So, DK over Vijay Shankar at 4. Interesting
UPDATE: It isn't raining in Nottingham but covers are on at the moment and it's very overcast. Live pictures show head coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli wrapped up warm. Indian players can be seen relaxing in the dressing room balcony. Fans are trooping in as we speak. Again, the covers are on but the skies are holding up all right. Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, Bhajji, with not so good news from Nottingham
From a 13-year-old rejected in a zonal trial, to a prolific cricketer all set to open the innings for India in the World Cup at Trent Bridge, here's a look back at his journey| WATCH: KL Rahul - redefining the grind
Injuries ruled out all-rounder Anderson from the 2019 Cricket World Cup 2019; but he feels the Black Caps are a great side who can try and win the trophy| New Zealand, Corey Anderson is behind you
Hmmm... that was close. Rain almost won that race.
Meanwhile, K.C. Vijaya Kumar pings from Nottingham: "It drizzled last night, there is a lull now, the skies haven't cleared yet, fingers crossed. It is 10 degree celsius!"
Despite the grand start to the tournament, Team India will be wary of tricky opponent New Zealand; the two nations will meet in a World Cup match after 16 years| India vs New Zealand head-to-head record
India probable XI: Rohit Sharma, K. L. Rahul, Virat Kohli, Vijay Shankar/Dinesh Karthik, M. S. Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand probable XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Jamesh Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Pant, whose omission from the original squad became a topic of heated debates given his stupendous form in the past one year, will reach Nottingham on Wednesday| Rishabh Pant comes in as cover for injured Shikhar Dhawan
K.L. Rahul — initially picked as the third opener before sealing the No. 4 slot — is likely to move up to accompany Rohit Sharma. The forced change could reopen the No. 4 debate| Who could replace Shikhar Dhawan?
Shikhar Dhawan injured his left thumb early in his innings against Australia on Sunday. He went on to make 117 | India sweats over Shikhar Dhawan’s fitness
The centre-square here at Trent Bridge, was layered with multiple sheets on Wednesday. The ground staff scurried around, extending the covers, keeping an eye on the feathery rain that oscillated between persistence and the long pause. During one such break, the Indian team trained, not full-tilt but a gingerly trot.
India vs New Zealand Preview:
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The forecast hints at a few showers during Thursday’s World Cup match featuring Virat Kohli’s men and New Zealand. Ambiguity is linked only to the weather while thankfully the other realm of confusion centred around Shikhar Dhawan, was effectively dismantled.
Batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that a final decision on Dhawan’s availability would be taken only after 12 days and that rules out the injured opener with a bruised left-thumb, from India’s next set of four games.
The team-management is hoping that the southpaw would be fit in time for the big clash against England on June 30th. As a consequence, K.L. Rahul will pair up with Rohit Sharma atop the order and in the middle, either Dinesh Karthik or Vijay Shankar would step in. Both had a long strike at the nets, only against throw-downs as the outfield was deemed too soft for the regular bowlers to pound their feet.
Except for the bad news about Dhawan, the Indian national cricket team is in good shape, having won against South Africa and Australia. Most of its cogs moved in unison and with the skies remaining damp, it remains to be seen if Kohli would prefer speedster Mohammed Shami over spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
The venue is Stuart Broad’s home ground and is known for a fair bit of bounce though in recent times, especially in ODIs, the turf has gifted a bounty of runs and last June, England scored 481 for six against Australia.
India will be wary of the New Zealand national cricket team and Kane Williamson’s men are known to punch above their weight in ICC tournaments. The Kiwis step in after three easy wins registered against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Its fast bowlers, especially Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham, have been among the wickets and more importantly, in the warm-up joust against India at the Oval on May 25, Williamson’s men rode on the exploits of seamers Trent Boult and Neesham to skittle out the Men in Blue for 179. New Zealand won the game by six wickets.
It would be a bit extreme to invest meaning into a practice skirmish which largely served as an exploratory exercise for teams to finalise their playing elevens but New Zealand would still derive some confidence. Its batsmen, notably Williamson, Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill, have been among the runs but what could stymie the outfit is that the opposition it quelled in three games, have been middling at best.
India would be its first big test and Kohli’s men are on a roll, dishing out intense cricket on the field and off it, finding time to unwind and they even caught Salman Khan’s Bharat at a nearby multiplex.
It is time for the action to unfold provided the inter-play of dark clouds subsides enough for a reticent sun to peep out.
Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the World Cup 2019 match between India and New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
The match will be streamed live on Hotstar.
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