New Delhi: As the nation brims with excitement ahead of India vs New Zealand World Cup semifinal match, Union Minister of Youth Affairs Sports Kiren Rijiju wished luck to the Indian cricket team and said that he was confident of India’s win.

He also expressed his excitement to watch the cricket match and said that since the match is in the second half, the Members of Parliament would also get some time to enjoy it.

Rijiju had on Sunday said that he is 'extremely optimistic' that India will lift the Cup for the third time.

"I have already sent my official greetings to the coach and Indian team. Since India is already there in the semi-finals, we hope and looking at the performance of our players, we are extremely optimistic and hopeful that India will be able to lift the World Cup once again and will bring the World Cup back home for the third time," Rijiju told reporters.

India will be taking on New Zealand in the first semifinal of the ICC World Cup at the Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester. The Indian team which finished atop the points table with seven wins in nine games would fancy their chances against New Zealand who entered the semis on the back of a spree of three successive losses.

The teams would be clashing for the first time in the ongoing World Cup as their round robin encounter at Trent Bridge was washed out owing to persistent rain. When the two sides last met at the 2003 World Cup, India defeated New Zealand by 7 wickets at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

More: Head To Head Record, Key Match Stats