Do we dare to dream about the Black Caps? Do we dare to dream a third-straight appearance at an ODI World Cup final can be a reality?
The semi-final spot is all but confirmed after the easy, breezy win over Sri Lanka. Only a Pakistan miracle over England would curtail things.
So a packed Eden Gardens, with 99.9% of them feverishly supporting the hosts, will come along next week. It’ll be different to that famous two-day knockout one-dayer in Manchester in 2019, but it also has similarities, one of which is hard to ignore.
India - the team, the fans and probably the all-powerful BCCI - *expect* them to win. In some of their eyes, the result’s already decided, the game a foregone conclusion. The Black Caps, to them, are merely a puddle they have to step over without getting their feet wet for the final.
And that is a beautiful, serene place for the men in black to be.
Zero expectation, zero pressure, zero need to be nervous. Of course they will be nervous, they’re professional athletes representing their country. But it’s not an all-consuming, paralysing feeling of sporting anxiousness.
It was the same four years ago. I've never been to a live sports contest where one side of the fans firmly believed it was anything but a contest as much as they did that day. 24 hours before the teams walked out onto Old Trafford (for day one), hordes of Indian fans surrounded us, telling us their team was on its way to lifting the cup.
I'm not there this time, but I can't imagine the feeling, the expectation, the certainty in their minds would be any different. They think the discrepancy between the teams is insurmountable.
I'll also never forget the complete contrast in those feelings about eight hours later (after day one) and the subsequent shift in tide for the Black Caps, who knew they'd silenced the beast.
If they can do that again in Mumbai their chances of causing a seismic upset will skyrocket.
The fact is New Zealand's bowling will need to be the best it's been this entire tournament. Fortunately, they now have a fully fit squad, barring Matt Henry, at their disposal.
Central to that are obviously Trent Boult and Tim Southee and movement they are able to get with the ball. If they get the ball to swing and snare two of Sharma, Gill or Kohli early, the silence will reverberate around Mumbai, probably around the entire nation of India.
Lockie Ferguson's return in the win over Sri Lanka is key. An injection of pace is only going to help New Zealand and his figures and performance against Sri Lanka, albeit a team who wanted to be anywhere else, is a sign of promise.
On top of that, Mitchell Santner looked back to his best with a suffocating 2/22 off his 10 overs.
The Black Caps have become semi-final giant killers. In 2015 they were given no right to beat South Africa. It turned into one of the most famous occasions in Eden Park's storied history. 2019 was even more heavily weighted in the opposition's favour. I promise you, that was one of the most enjoyable days I've had as a cricket reporter.
Could next Wednesday be another chapter in that underdog fable?
Having said all of the above, the Black Caps will probably now get bowled out for less than 100 and lose by 10 wickets or 200+ runs.
But a win? Well, stranger things have happened.
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