IND vs NZ: Dominant New Zealand trounced India by 21 runs in the first T20I at Ranchi on January 27. In the first T20I of the three-match series, star Kiwi opener Devon Conway and finisher Daryl Mitchell each scored fluent and fiery half-centuries to lead New Zealand to a comfortable 21-run victory.
India elected to bowl first after winning the flip of the coin. The surface was aiding spinners as we mentioned in the pitch report, but still, New Zealand kept their runs flowing and India let them do so. The Blackcaps put up 43 runs opening stand in course of just 4 overs. Two back-to-back wickets for Washington Sundar made a little barrier on the runs but Blackcaps managed to stick around 8 runs per over.
The death over’s nightmare haunted team India once again as they leaked 37 runs in the last 2 overs. Arshdeep’s No-Ball dilemma has put him on the edge of the grey list for the selection. He conceived 3 maximums along a boundary in the final over and his stats were 51 runs in just 4 overs with 1 wicket.
India won the ODI series in dominating fashion under regular Captain Rohit Sharma. The T20 squad was missing few a big names like Rohit and run machine Virat Kohli. In absence of the regular captain Hardik was handed the T20I captaincy. Now, with 1st match of the T20 series lost and also the series in line, India will play for the standard and reputation against New Zealand at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
IND vs NZ: India can make these 3 Changes for the 2nd T20I
- Mukesh Kumar to get a chance?
Arshdeep conceded 51 runs in his 4 overs last night. The final over would be a nightmare for him as well and his front foot ‘No Ball’ problem is what we are all aware of. Following the very below-average performance of Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar can get a chance. The veteran pacer Mukesh Kumar has made his name of his own skills and abilities. His T20 economy is around 7 runs per over whereas Arshdeep leaks over 8 runs per over.
- Rahul Tripathi to open the innings with Ishan?
Although Shubman Gill has great batting abilities, he has never had the appearance of a T20 batsman. In the T20 format, his batting average hovers around 25, while his strike rate is under 130. On the other hand, Rahul Tripathi has a 140+ strike rate. The format demands how quickly you can contribute runs to the team’s total, and Rahul Tripathi is the player who can deliver in the T20 format.
- Aggressive Intent on bowling
In the last game, Umran Malik only bowled one over and gave up 16 runs. He is a bowler who will be expensive in the middle overs but he will definitely produce wickets. India walked onto the field with seven bowling options, which wasn’t necessary. Shivam Mavi also bowled just two overs and his first over was the 14th.
So the team management and the skipper could think, about how they can manage the overs and stick to basics. Hardik and co. would definitely go aggressive this time. It is sufficient to have 4 primary bowlers and 2 all-rounders. The team’s batting and bowling standards suffer from playing a multitude of all-rounders.
IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: Pridicted playing XI
India: Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Finn Allan, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner
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