India is locking horns with New Zealand in the highly anticipated clash of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. India skipper Rohit Sharma has won the toss and invited New Zealand to bat first on Sunday.Team changesBoth teams are unbeaten in the multinational event after playing four games each, todays clash will end one teams winning streak. Men in Blue have made two crucial changes as Suryakumar Yadav replaces Hardik Pandya while Mohammed Shami is making his first appearance in the World Cup 2023 in place of medium pacer Shardul Thakur. Hardiks injury forced the team to change the combination. Rohits men will be seeking revenge against the Balckcaps for their encounters in the 2019 World Cup semi-final and World Test Championships (WTC).India skipper Rohit Sharma said after the toss, Well bowl first. No reason, we were here training yesterday and felt a bit of dew come in. Looks like a good pitch, well back ourselves to chase. Quite important to keep the momentum going, and forget what happened in the past. Need to be at it all the time. This is one place everyone wants to come and play, with beautiful weather and a nice stadium. Hardik isnt available, and so does Shardul. Weve got Shami and Surya.While, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said, Wed have bowled first as well. Looks like a good surface, and we know the dew will come in. The important thing is whatever we do, we need to do well. We need to keep the momentum going. We are in a new ground, new conditions so need to adjust to these conditions as quickly as we can. Weve got the same team for today - three seamers and two spinners.Playing XIIndias playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed SirajNew Zealands playing XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (w/c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult. Pitch ReportAccording to Ravi Shastri and Simon Doull, there is less grass in Dharamsala, making it the slower side. Due will be an important factor depending upon the amount as well. Ravi said, This pitch will be on the slower side, but still a good wicket to bat on. Despite there being dew, teams though shouldnt be afraid to bat first.
