ICC ODI World Cup 2023 has reached the knockout stage. In the first semifinal, India and New Zealand will clash each other at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Wednesday, November 15. In the second semifinal of the tournament, Australia and South Africa will lock horns on November 16 in Kolkata.
In anticipation of the two highly anticipated matches, iconic cricketers Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting provided their insights into the upcoming significant fixtures in the cricketing spectacle. Shastri picks his finalists, expressing his belief that India and Australia would face each other in the ultimate showdown scheduled for November 19 in Ahmedabad.
While talking to ICC Quiz Night in Mumbai, Shastri said, “On October 08 during India’s first game of the tournament, I said that this is the dress rehearsal of the final. I feel that these two sides will be seen clashing in the finals as well.”
Meanwhile, the legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that the toss will play an important role in the second semi-final between Australia and South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“The toss is going to play a crucial part in the second semi-final as we saw during the game between India and South Africa that the pitch slowed down as the game progressed. Hence, the team batting first will have an advantage, and the toss will be crucial,” said Ponting.
