T20WC Preview: IND vs NZ

India will be up against New Zealand in their 2nd game of the World T20 2021. Both India and New Zealand were defeated by Pakistan in their first game of the tournament. This game will be very crucial for both sides as the team winning this game will have an almost certain chance to qualify for the semi-finals from group 2 of the Super 12 round.

India were ordinary with bat and ball and was stunned by Pakistan in the first game after losing the Toss. Apart from skipper chipping in with a half-century and Rishabh Pant contributing a handy 39, all the other batters failed to perform. The likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav are quality players and they must be itching to bounce back strongly.

Bowling is India’s main area of concern as they are playing with just five bowling options and no one is looking in good form except Jasprit Bumrah. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami looked out of form while the wild card in Varun Chakravarthy failed to leave an impression.

New Zealand too had a poor start to their campaign as they lost to Pakistan by 5 wickets. The Kiwi batters failed to put up a good score on the board scoring only 134 batting first. Although their bowlers did a good job not letting the Pak batters chase this easily before Asif Ali scored a quickfire 27 to seal the deal for his side. Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and Devon Conway got starts but failed to convert while Martin Guptill looked good in his short stay on the crease.

Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner bowled with control while Trent Boult and Tim Southee were decent. New Zealand are a proficient side and we have seen in the past that they certainly are not the ones to be taken lightly, especially in ICC events.

Probable Playing 11

Hardik Pandya had some fitness issues in the last game while there may be other changes in the Indian line-up.

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya/Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
 

New Zealand are expected to field the same eleven from their last game.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.

Pitch Report

This match will be played in Dubai. The pitch here is best for batting amongst all three venues with dew having a great effect on the game in the second innings. Toss will play a huge role as chasing teams have won every game except one in the Super 12 round so far. Teams winning the toss will look to bowl first in this game as well.

Head to Head

Overall: IND 8-8 NZ

In T20WC: NZ lead 2-0

Match-Ups (All T20s)

Rohit vs Boult: 29 runs for 3 dismissals
Rohit vs Southee: 65 runs for 3 dismissals
Rahul vs Boult: 78 runs at SR 195, 1 dismissal
Rahul vs Southee: 91 runs at SR 138, no dismissal
Rahul vs Santner: 55 runs at SR 167, no dismissal
Kohli vs Boult: 60 runs at SR 143, no dismissal
Kohli vs Sodhi: 39 runs for 2 dismissals
Hardik vs Sodhi: 6 off 12 balls, 3 dismissals
Guptill vs Bumrah: 37 runs for 3 dismissals
Guptill vs Bhuvi: 17 runs for 3 dismissals
Kane vs Shami: 49 runs for 4 dismissals
Hardik vs Left Arm Pace: Average 87, SR 181

TRIVIA

KL Rahul has just 18 runs in his last 5 T20I innings
Rohit Sharma has 4 fifties in 13 innings against NZ
Hardik has 41 runs in 6 innings vs NZ at an Average of 8.2
KL Rahul averages 56 versus NZ
Guptill averages 17 versus IND from 12 innings
Seifert vs IND: Average 47, SR 156 from 8 innings

Key Players

India

• Virat Kohli: Skipper Virat Kohli looked in excellent touch in the first game. He scored 57 vital runs when all the others failed to get going. Kohli has been India’s best batsman in the T20s and the onus will be on him once again to lead his team to a win this game with the bat. He has scored 288 runs in the last 5 innings at a ridiculous average of 144. No one has more runs in their last 5 T20Is.
   
• Rohit Sharma: Rohit is another excellent batter for the Indian team. He has crossed the 60-run mark thrice in his last 6 innings and will be looking to go big in this virtual knock-out.
   
• Jasprit Bumrah: Bumrah is the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack and probably the best pacer in world cricket at the moment. Bumrah picks wickets and rarely goes for runs in his spell and he will look to do the same against New Zealand as well.
   

New Zealand

• Kane Williamson: Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson is their best batsman and his side will expect him to lead from the front with the bat. Williamson played a good knock in the last game but he got run-out before he could’ve accelerated. Kane is a big match player and he’ll be eyeing a good performance with the bat in this crucial game.
   
• Martin Guptill: Martin Guptill is the most experienced player for the Black Caps in the tournament and will look to live up to his reputation. Guptill’s job will be to attack in the power play and give his team a good start. He can take the game away from the opposition very quickly if he gets going.
   
• Trent Boult: Trent Boult will play a key role for New Zealand as the Indian top order’s weakness against left-arm pace bowlers early in the innings is known to everyone. Shaheen Afridi troubled them in the first game and Trent Boult will look to do the same.

Dream11 Prediction

Top Captain Picks:

• Virat Kohli
• KL Rahul
• Rohit Sharma
• Kane Williamson
• Jasprit Bumrah (Bowling first)
• Trent Boult (Risky)

Disclaimer:  These teams are based on the writer's understanding of the game and do not guarantee to win in fantasy cricket. Users are advised to create their own teams with the information provided.