India Predicted Playing 11 vs New Zealand for Match 21 of 2023 World Cup

Team India will look to reach the top of the points table in the 2023 World Cup when they face off against New Zealand at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, October 22.

The Men in Blue won't be at full strength for the encounter, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya being ruled out after sustaining an ankle injury in their preceding clash against Bangladesh. They will need to ponder a few combinations they can put out in their vice-captain's absence.

India's squad for the 2023 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav.

Here is India's predicted playing XI for Match 21 of the 2023 World Cup against New Zealand.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (c) and Shubman Gill

Rohit Sharma will have Matt Henry and Trent Boult to negotiate in the powerplay

India's opening combination will be unchanged, of course. While captain Rohit Sharma has been in sensational form at the top of the order, Shubman Gill made his first World Cup half-century in the previous game against Bangladesh.

Rohit and Gill will have their task cut out on Sunday, with Matt Henry and Trent Boult leading a New Zealand pace attack that is bound to relish the conditions in Dharamsala.

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Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav

Virat Kohli smashed a hundred against Bangladesh

Virat Kohli broke his long century drought in World Cups with a superb effort against the Tigers a few days ago. The superstar batter will look to build on his excellent form and come up with another meaningful contribution.

Shreyas Iyer hasn't looked as convincing despite his fifty against Pakistan. The talented batter has been a reliable performer for India in ODIs and will bank on those results to make more runs in the middle order.

KL Rahul is yet to be dismissed in this World Cup and has already bailed the side out of a couple of tricky situations. His glovework has been exceptional as well, something that will serve the team well in Dharamsala.

India have to choose between Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav to be Hardik's replacement in the middle order. While the former adds a left-handed option, he isn't the most suited to a No. 6 role. Suryakumar, meanwhile, has been used at the position lately and is arguably the more ideal Hardik backup.

However, Suryakumar reportedly suffered a blow to the wrist in India's final practice session ahead of the game and didn't take any further part in training. With there being a cloud over his fitness, India might be forced to bat Kishan out of position.

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All-rounder: Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja will have a lot on his plate in Hardik Pandya's absence

Ravindra Jadeja has been sensational with the ball and in the field. His number hasn't been called in the batting department yet, and that is something that might be weighing on the back of India's minds. Nevertheless, Jadeja will need to step up against New Zealand as the only all-rounder in the side.

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Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav

Jasprit Bumrah has been India's standout bowler

Playing Shardul Thakur in a five-man bowling attack doesn't seem like a great idea, with the fast bowling rarely being a 10-over bank. However, India have done that before, most recently in the ODI series against Australia that preceded the World Cup.

While it seems like a smarter option to include Mohammed Shami and beef up the bowling attack, Rohit Sharma and Co. could take the riskier route and back Thakur to come up with 10 reliable overs. They can't go wrong if they play Shami, though.

The rest of India's bowling attack is expected to wear a similar look. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will share the new ball, while Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin attack.