India's Predicted XI vs New Zealand, Cricket World Cup 2023: Who Will Fill Hardik Pandya-Sized Void?

India's Predicted XI vs New Zealand, Cricket World Cup 2023:  With the top spot on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 points table at stake, the India vs New Zealand in match no. 21 promises to be a thrilling spectacle at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday. India and New Zealand are the only teams to remain undefeated after playing four matches in this Cricket World Cup and will be keen to continue their winning streak. (World Cup points table)

India's wins came against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh while New Zealand downed England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. New Zealand lead the points table courtesy of a superior net run rate and are followed closely by India.

The last meeting between the two sides in the ODI World Cup ended in a heartbreak for Team India with New Zealand emerging winners by 18 runs in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-finals in Manchester, England.

New Zealand also have a better head-to-head record in ODI World Cups against India, winning five of their nine meetings and losing three of them. One match produced no result.

Though Rohit Sharma's in-form side seems to have all bases heading into the crucial contest, Hardik Pandya's injury comes as a huge blow and who will plug the gap for India against New Zealand is the big question.

Openers: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill

Rohit Sharma has been in blistering form this World Cup. After getting out early against Australia, the Indian captain has laid down perfect platforms for his team with aggressive batting upfront in the next three games.

Rohit Sharma's 131 against Afghanistan made light work of a 273-run target. His runs came at a strike rate of over 150 and included five sixes. Against Pakistan, the Hitman toyed with the