It’s the same opposition who have this habit of biting us at the most crucial stages, the same opposition against which India don’t boast of good record when it comes to T20 internationals. Virat Kohli and Co. will square up against New Zealand for the first time after the soul-crushing defeat in the World Cup semi-final against them last year.
After enjoying a stellar 2-1 series victory against Australia, India now travel to New Zealand for a month-long tour which includes 5 T20 internationals, 3 ODIs and 2 test matches.
India will start off their tour with the first T20 being played at Eden Park at Auckland on Friday.
INDIA:
Coming into the series after claiming a 2-1 series victory against Australia, India are likely to hit the ground running full of confidence and would be eyeing to start with a win on Friday.
However, playing at green top wickets against New Zealand, who have had an upper hand against them in T20s, India will have a lot of homework to do. In the 11 T20 internationals that both teams have played against each other, India could only manage to win just three.
Moreover, India will miss the services of in-form Shikhar Dhawan, while Hardik Pandya too will also sit out as the Indian all-rounder has failed the workload monitoring test, which eventually ruled him out from the selection.
Meanwhile, India batting unit will bank on in-form KL Rahul and Virat Kohli even as it will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma fares out in the testing conditions in New Zealand. India’s limited over vice-captain Rohit Sharma’s problem against the moving ball is not an unknown phenomenon, but considering his stellar form in the last one year, Rohit would back himself to make the most of the tour.
On the bowling front, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has made a solid comeback into the limited over’s series. Bumrah has been exceptional with his variations, pace and accuracy, not allowing any Australian batsman to free his arms. India would be happy to see Mohammed Shami’s rise in ODI cricket, while for speedster Navdeep Saini, it would be an ideal opportunity to make his case stronger ahead of the T20 World Cup.
PREDICTED ELEVEN:
- Rohit Sharma
- KL Rahul
- Virat Kohli (C)
- Shreyas Iyer
- Rishabh Pant
- Shivam Dube
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Mohammed Shami
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Navdeep Saini
- Yuzvendra Chahal
NEW ZEALAND:
They might be playing at home conditions and might have a better T20 record against India, but the way they have played in the last series against Australia and considering the fact that some of their key players being injured, confidence wouldn’t be as high in the dressing room.
Skipper Kane Williamson will be making his comeback in the T20 internationals, having missed out in the last series against England. Without a doubt, Williamson and Ross Taylor are likely to be the biggest bets for the Blackcaps, while they would expect the opening duo of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro to give better starts to the team.
In the build-up to the T20 World Cup later this year, it will be an important series for both the teams, taking on each other in 5 T20 internationals, however, New Zealand will be disappointed with the fact that their key fast bowlers in Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson would be sitting out due to their respective injuries. The onus thus is likely to fall on the likes of Tim Southee, Mitchell Starc and Colin de Grandhomme to face a fierce Indian batting line up.
HERE’S A LOOK AT NEW ZEALAND PREDICTED ELEVEN:
- Martin Guptill
- Colin Munro
- Kane Williamson (C)
- Colin de Grandhomme
- Ross Taylor
- Daryl Mitchell
- Mitchell Santner
- Ish Sodhi
- Tim Southee
- Hamish Bennett
Head to head between India and New Zealand
Matches Played: 11
India: 3
NEW ZEALAND: 8
