For flawless Team India, no margin for error now

The day leading up to a big game is filled with inanity. The players say all the right things - we're treating it like any other game, staying focused on the task, sticking to what works. There is a gentle nets session, some laughs, some posing for pictures, multiple requests for passes. But the mundane is just a cover for the frenetic blend of energy and anxiety bubbling up inside. The players are on edge. They can't wait for the match to begin.

- Ashish Magotra

The first semi-final of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, India vs New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, is a big match, if ever there was one. It's a knockout there is no coming back from this one. You lose and the tournament is over. You win and a world of possibility awaits. It's a cauldron of expectations, a pressure-cooker waiting to pop.

So, when India skipper Rohit Sharma entered the stadium on Tuesday, he made a beeline for the wicket. He wasn't all smiles as usual; instead, he had his game face on. He spoke to the curator, took a close look at the pitch, and then shadow-batted for a bit. This is a ground he grew up on, but another look never hurt.

Everything this pulsating, gyrating, all-conquering Indian team have done up to this point at the World Cup- the winning streak of nine matches, the 300plus totals in the last three league games, the attack that has taken 86 of the 90 wickets on offer, Rohit Sharma's record sixhitting, Virat Kohli's steady brilliance (he is averaging 99.00), Ravindra Jadeja's all-round excellence, and Jasprit Bumrah's fearsome genius-will cease to matter when the match begins.