New Zealand who were on a roll after remaining unbeaten in their first six outings had a complete reversal of fortunes by losing their last three round robin encounters to Pakistan, England and Australia.
The Kiwis sea-saw run to the semifinals could largely be attributed to the stellar form of their skipper Kane Williamson and the potent pace attack which has been instrumental in bowling out sides in some nail-biting encounters.
While Kohli-led 'Men in Blue' have quite a few match winners in their side, the Kiwis have a couple of game changers who could turn the tide of the match in their team's favour.
Here is a look at 5 New Zealand players to watch out for against India in the World Cup semi-finals:
1. Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson has once again been the batting lynch-pin of the New Zealand team, scoring a plethora of runs in the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The ever dependable skipper has been in sublime form notching up 481 runs in seven innings for the Kiwis.
The elegant stroke maker stroked his way to two eye pleasing tons against West Indies and South Africa. If one were to go by the records, Williamson boasts of an impressive record against the Indians and would relish the opportunity of scoring big against Kohli and Co. Moreover, he is one of the few Black Caps who is comfortable playing spin and hence would hold the aces for his team against the potent Indian spin attack.
2. Ross Taylor
New Zealand's ever consistent batsman for all seasons has had a decent outing in the World Cup with 261 runs in his kitty. Taylor has been the core to the Kiwis middle order along with skipper Williamson by stitching some valuable partnerships. Taylor's knock of 82 against Bangladesh and 69 against West Indies was instrumental in taking Kiwis over the line
3.James Neesham
The star all-rounder has been an outright match winner for New Zealand in the round robin stage of the World Cup. He has provided the ideal balance to the Kiwis with his all-round heroics. Neesham scored a breath-taking 97-run knock against Pakistan to almost clinch a win for the Kiwis against the sub-continent team.
He once again was the game changer with the ball for the Kiwis against Afghanistan, when he produced a devastating spell picking up a fifer against the Asian team. With 201 runs and 11 wickets, Neesham stands tall among the top all-rounders in this edition of the World Cup.
4. Trent Boult - Trent Boult has once again been the spearhead of a potent New Zealand pace attack at the ongoing Cricket World Cup. The left-arm speedster has consistently made inroads into the opposition’s batting by making early breakthroughs for his team.
Boult has already sent down alarm bells in the tournament by picking up two 4-wicket hauls against West Indies and Australia. The pace ace became the first Kiwi bowler to take an hat-trick at the Cricket World Cup by achieving the feat against arch rivals Australia
5. Lockie Ferguson - Lockie Ferguson has been in red hot form with the new ball for the Kiwis at the World Cup. The speed merchant has wreaked havoc with his sheer pace to go through the defences of the best batsmen. The tearaway seamer has accounted for 17 wickets in his seven outings for the Kiwis. He was at his menacing best against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka picking up 4-wicket hauls, besides scalping three wickets each against South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Windies.