India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I Predicted XI: Hardik Pandya-led India face New Zealand in a must-win situation to level the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, on Sunday.
The match will be held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. A total of eight T20 matches were played at this venue out which 5 have been won by teams batting first. Three have been won by teams bowling first. The average first innings score is 157 while the average second innings score is 129. The highest total is 199/2 which was scored by India against Sri Lanka 11 months ago.
Change in seam department
In the first game, India were caught in a spin web on the Ranchi pitch and lost the opener by 21 runs on Friday. The loss also highlighted the weakness in India’s bowling department, especially by the pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik.
If tearaway pacer Malik conceded 16 runs in one over, Arshdeep leaked 27 runs in the last over, which put pressure on the India batters while chasing. That expensive over from the young left-arm quick was the turning point as he was smashed for three sixes and a boundary.
Skipper Pandya, may bring in uncapped pace bowler Mukesh Kumar for the second T20I especially considering this is a high scoring venue. Picking up wickets will be key and hence, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could be an important cog in the bowling department.
Change in top three
India’s batters were off to an inauspicious start with the top-three managing just 15 runs. The hosts ended up scoring 155/9, which would have been a par score to defend on the wicket, as indicated by Washington Sundar after the match. The big concern is the form of key batters – Ishan Kishan and Deepak Hooda.
Kishan is nowhere near the ominous form he showed while slamming a record-breaking ODI double-century. Since then, Ishan’s scores in the last seven innings in both ODIs and T20Is read 37, 2, 1, 5, 8 n.o., 17 and 4. If one just considers the T20Is, it’s been a while since he last scored a fifty — against South Africa on June 14, 2022. Hooda, too, hasn’t enjoyed much success as a lower middle-order batter and averages just 17.88 in the last 13 innings, with the highest being the unbeaten 41 against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede.
India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I Weather Report: The weather in Lucknow is clear with no possibility of rain and hence we should have a full game.
India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I Pitch Report: The Lucknow surface has generally been a high scoring ground and with the dew factor coming into play, team winning the toss may bowl first.
India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I Predicted XI:
India Possible XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav
NZ Possible XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Ben Lister/Jacob Duffy
India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I Squads
India Squad: Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jitesh Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Prithvi Shaw
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway (wk), Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rippon, Dane Cleaver, Henry Shipley, Ben Lister
(With PTI inputs)