Wisden’s combined India-New Zealand XI from the 2023 World Cup

India and New Zealand will re-enact the 2019 World Cup semi-final when they meet each other at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15.

India finished at the top of the points table, winning all nine group stage games, while New Zealand scraped through, finishing fourth with just five wins out of nine. Yet, both teams will have an equal opportunity to reach the final of the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium.

Here is a combined XI of players selected from both teams who shone in this World Cup.

Wisden’s combined India-New Zealand 2023 World Cup XI – the selections

Rohit Sharma

503 runs @ 55.89, SR 121.50, 3 fifties, 1 hundred

Rohit has led India from the front with consistent blazing starts. From killing the game inside the first powerplay with a quickfire forties to playing long innings when the situation has demanded, he has been the most entertaining opener on display, not just from India, but in the entire tournament.

Rachin Ravindra

565 runs @ 70.62, SR 108.45, 2 fifties, 3 hundreds
5 wickets @ 66.60, ER 5.68

Ravindra has been an absolute revelation in this World Cup. Michael Bracewell’s unavailability meant he found a spot in the squad, while Kane Williamson’s unavailability meant he found a consistent run at the top of the order, which he has captialised and how. His 565 runs have come packaged with reliable left-arm spin and five wickets as well.

Virat Kohli

594 runs @ 99, SR 88.52, 5 fifties, 2 hundreds

Kohli was the highest scorer of the group stage of the 2023 World Cup, with almost 600 runs and an average of almost 100. He crossed fifty on seven out of nine occasions and converted them into three-figure scores on two, playing the anchor role to perfection for India.

Shreyas Iyer

421 runs @ 70.17, SR 106.58, 3 fifties, 1 hundred

Iyer had a shaky first half of the World Cup before coming into his own in the second. In the last three games of the league stage, he reached 75 on each occasion, becoming the first Indian No.4 to do so in ODI cricket. He finished off the league stage with a brilliant century against the Netherlands in Bengaluru.

KL Rahul

347 runs @ 69.40, SR 93.53, 1 fifty, 1 hundred

Rahul was the man for all situations for India in the middle order, be it arresting a collapse against Australia in the first game or pushing on the accelerator against Netherlands in the last, he adapted to the demands perfectly, averaging close to 70 in the group stage with a fifty and a hundred.

Daryl Mitchell

418 runs @ 59.71, SR 110.58, 2 fifties, 1 hundred

Mitchell was New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer in the league stages, stacking up more than 400 runs at a healthy average of nearly 60. His finest knock came against India in Dharamsala, where he scored his fifth ODI century.

Ravindra Jadeja

111 runs @ 55.50, SR 115.62
16 wickets @ 18.25, ER 3.97

Jadeja edges out Mitchell Santner for the all-rounder’s spot by the barest of margins. Jadeja had a phenomenal league stage with the ball, but it was his batting returns that saw him pip Santner, who had an equally productive campaign with the ball.

Mohammed Shami

16 wickets @ 9.56, ER 4.78

Shami only got into India’s XI after Hardik Pandya was injured and set the stage on fire immediately, picking two five-fors and one four-for in his first three matches. He was unplayable with the new ball as his bowling strike rate of 12 indicates, and already has the joint fifth-most wickets in this World Cup for any bowler despite playing only five games.

Kuldeep Yadav

14 wickets @ 22.29, ER 4.15

Kuldeep continued his purple patch in ODI cricket through the league stage of the World Cup, picking 14 wickets at an economy rate of under 4.25. He was the perfect foil to India’s seamers and Jadeja, often forming the last line of attack for the Indian bowling.

Jasprit Bumrah

17 wickets @ 15.65, ER 3.65

Bumrah finished the league stage as India’s highest wicket-taker. Top orders found him unplayable, as his economy rate of 2.95 inside the first ten overs shows. He played his role of the leader of India’s bowling attack to perfection, setting the tone for the others to cash by the time he finished his first spell more often than not.

Lockie Ferguson

10 wickets @ 23.60, ER 5.13

Ferguson had to leave the field due to an Achilles heel injury against Australia. Until then, he had a wonderful campaign, picking 10 wickets from six games at less than 24 runs per wicket. Coming first change, he picked four wickets between overs 11 and 15, making it tough for the middle orders to get going.