New Zealand, on the other hand, will be eager to grab a consolation win to boost their morale.
Given the Indian batting line-up's weakness against swinging deliveries, New Zealand could go in with an all-pace attack with the pitch likely to offer pace and bounce.
He was part of the 4x100m relay team that still holds the national record, and post-retirement, he oversaw the Black Caps for eight years.
Describing New Zealand's ODI series win over India as a triumph of the "little guys of world cricket", the Kiwi media said the victory proves the relevance of underdogs at a time when superpowers are trying to seize control of the game.
India has lost three finals and on four occasion it bit dust at the semifinal stage. It also made an exit at the preliminary stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Ishan Kishan had to sit out of the Sri Lanka series despite scoring the fastest double hundred in the history of ODIs against Bangladesh.
The two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw, with England having won the first Test in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.
When Junaid and I asked why they were pushing, they pointed to the skull cap on my head, Junaid's brother Hashim said.
Injury-prone paceman Mark Gillespie has been ruled out of New Zealand's two-Test series in West Indies after failing to recover from an ankle injury, the country's cricket board (NZC) said on Tuesday.
A powerful batting display and disciplined bowling helped South Africa to a 33-run victory over New Zealand in the third and deciding T20 International at St.George's Park on Wednesday.
Australia are a vulnerable side even against their lowly trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand following the sweeping changes implemented under the Argus Review, former national coach John Buchanan has said.
Rangana Herath exploited New Zealand's weakness against spin to claim six wickets as Sri Lanka scored a 10-wicket victory on the third day of the first Test in Galle on Monday.
Yuvraj Singh made an emotional return to international cricket but India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to allow New Zealand to win the Twenty20 series with a thrilling one-run victory in Chennai.
New Zealand will be looking to get back to winning ways when they take on India in the first T20 International in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Victory will also boost the morale of the side ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka, starting September 18. Skipper Ross Taylor feels the return of senior players Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills will help the Black Caps get into groove.
India and New Zealand will fight it out for the inaugural title at Southampton's Ageas Bowl
Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham, Adam Milne and Scott Kuggeleijn, coaches and former players James Pamment and Shane Bond, Mike Hesson were the first to land in Auckland
Luck has been a major factor in teams progressing to the semi-finals. With rain gods intervening, the equations in both groups changed a bit. There was a lot of permutations and combinations that saw England, India, New Zealand and Pakistan progress:
New Zealand bowled out West Indies for just 161 to earn an 88 run win, their first victory on their tour of the Caribbean, in the third One-Day International in St Kitts on Wednesday.
Neither side will be at full strength, as a string of first-team players will be missing due to injuries, when India and New Zealand meet in the opening match of the ODI series on Wednesday in Hamilton.
Under the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme, West Indies were scheduled to play three Tests and three T20s in New Zealand, while Pakistan will play Two tests and three T20s.
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has declared himself available for the Black Caps' World Twenty20 campaign a year after bowing out of cricket's shorter formats to prolong his Test career.
India thrashed New Zealand by eight wickets and 90 runs in the first two ODIs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com salutes the new ICC World Cup champions.
Kane Williamson said it was time for the Black Caps to move on from the disappointment and focus on the India series.
Shreyas Iyer on Friday earned the right to invite his coach Pravin Amre for dinner at his home, having fulfilled a condition the former India player had imposed on his protege, by scoring a hundred on Test debut.
'When it comes to cricket, I try to entertain as much as possible whether it's for good or for bad..., thankfully, it was on the good end of things.'
An enormous amount of black money flows in and out of the banking system and still remains black.
Former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald has accepted a temporary position as bowling consultant to the New Zealand national team under recently appointed head coach John Wright.
'These (Australia and New Zealand) two series I have learnt a lot. I might not have bowled a lot but I learnt to bowl in different conditions. In batting, just watching seniors like Virat (Kohli), Rohit (Sharma) and (MS) Dhoni, how they go about their job, I learnt a lot'
Former New Zealand opener Mark Richardson believes that the current Black Caps Test team have shown top improvement and a ton of spine, and will have to display it during the ongoing Nagpur Test against India.
England and New Zealand have both had to ride out the storm to make this year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final. It has been far from smooth sailing for either side, but in the end it is Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan's side who have emerged on top, and deservedly so.
Kiwis claim 7th series win of the home summer.
Cricket Australia will revert to a panel of experts to decide man of the match awards after Doug Bracewell failed to win a public vote despite bowling New Zealand to victory in a Test match in Hobart on Monday.
While New Zealand basks in the glory of a first Test match win over Australia in more than 18 years, national cricket coach John Wright put the victory in perspective and again told his top order batsmen they must put more runs on the board.
New Zealanders will be proud of the fight their cricket team showed to stage a remarkable turnaround and claim their first Test victory on Australian soil in 26 years, Black Caps skipper Ross Taylor said on Monday.
Tim Southee asked his team's batsmen to raise their game.
Saudi Arabia may soon impose a six-year cap on the residency of foreigners in the country as part of its programme to regulate the local labour market - a move likely to affect a large number of Indias working that country.
Martin Guptill felt that India once again out-batted them on a difficult track.
Prints in silk, handmade shibori, hints of denim, uneven hems, 3D florals...Anamika Khanna's collection had casual, fun outfits for your everyday wardrobe.
The Roshan boys clearly soaked up the sun during their latest vacation.
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