The quest starts with the semifinal clash against New Zealand here on Tuesday. And though the formidable Indian top-order, led by tournament top-scorer Rohit Sharma, is expected to deliver, New Zealand's seam attack will also be ready and waiting to knock at the corridor of uncertainty.
It has been a campaign in which Kohli and his men have been successfully able to hide their chinks even without a suitable 'Plan B' but they don't have an option of letting the script go awry anymore. The sub-plots promise to be fascinating --- Rohit trying to hook a Lockie Ferguson bouncer, KL Rahul negotiating one from Trent Boult that could tail in, Kohli smashing Matt Henry all around.
Or it could be Kane Williamson's near perfect technique against spinners or Ross Taylor trying to get a grip of Jasprit Bumrah.
Toss Update:
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has won the toss and has decided to bat first. They have made a major change to the side; Lockie Ferguson comes in to replace Tim Southee.
“We're going to have a bat. It looks like a good surface. We have played a number of games here. A toss-up with the overheads, but it'll be around all day, so we need to get the job first up. We are used to the routine, but we have a great opportunity to put up a good performance against a side like India,” said Williamson at the toss.
India have also made just one change; Yuzvendra Chahal comes in to replace Kuldeep Yadav. Mohammed Shami misses out as well.
“We would've batted first. Fresh wicket, nice and hard, and not moist. A bit of rain around as well, the ball will get wet as the game goes on. It could remain decent throughout the game. It's going to remain similar throughout the course of the game - we have done well in Manchester. We have had two good games in Manchester, and it's about focusing on the basics. We need to remember why we are in the semis,” said Kohli.
Here are the teams:
India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni(w), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult