India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup preview for the upcoming free to play fantasy contest on The Fan Exchange

 

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• Runs Scored: Total runs scored by the Batsman.
• Wickets: Act of a Bowler dismissing a Batsman by hitting the wicket with the ball.
• Fielding: Total number of catches, stumpings, run-outs and run out assists.

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India vs New Zealand, Group 2 of the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2021

India was hammered by 10 wickets in their opener by Pakistan and now faces New Zealand in their second match of the ICC T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on October 31st.  The loss to Pakistan was India’s first against their rivals at the World Cups.  In Pakistan’s second match of this tournament, they defeated New Zealand, which provided a decent fight with NZ posting a modest total of 135.

After losses to Pakistan, this is clearly a must-win game for both teams as the losing team from this match will most likely be left out of the next stage of the tournament.  IND and NZ were originally viewed before the start of the tournament as possibly the two best teams in Group 2 that also includes the experienced Afghanistan squad and two debutants, Namibia and Scotland.  Pakistan has now surprisingly emerged as the most likely contender among the six teams to book a seat for the semifinals.

 

Team News (India & New Zealand)

In the initial match, India went with the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who looked out of form as a bowler.  Although Bhuvneshwar can move the ball, he has not been effective in the white-ball format as of late.  India may consider the all-rounder Shardul Thakur to replace him.  Shardul comes with the ability to strike, especially in the middle overs, thanks to his cross-seam bowling and change of pace. Additionally, with the batting woes of Hardik Pandya, Shardul will provide some extra luxury in their batting order.

For a long time now, India has struggled to impress in the spin department and must play better to support their pacers. India selected mystery spinner Varun Chakravorty for the opening match, and he failed to impress. The team may opt to go with Ravi Ashwin to bring some more experience into their playing XI as New Zealand has three left-handed batsmen in their lineup.

For the New Zealand team, Mitchell Santner looked like the solitary weak link.  Even in spinning friendly conditions, batsmen were playing Mitchell with ease as he conceded 33 runs in his allocated 4 overs. Tim Southee looked very sharp with the new bowl.  However, in his final over Tim conceded two sixes in crunch situations to sink the last hopes for New Zealand.

The inclusion of Todd Astle in place of Tim Santner in the spin department might be a talking point for New Zealand.  As an aside, it seems the injury of the in-form Lockie Ferguson just before the Pakistan match may be a crucial setback for New Zealand.

One final point of news to note, Martin Guptill picked up a toe injury against Pakistan and could miss the India match, which would be a major setback for the Blackcaps.

Head to head India vs New Zealand in T20I

To date, India and New Zealand have previously faced each other two times in this format, with New Zealand winning both matches (2019 WC semi-final and World Test Championship final).  On both occasions, India failed to chase the total.

 

Players to watch:

Rohit Sharma had a quiet day at the office against Pakistan where he was undone by a beauty from Shaheen Shah Afridi. However, he always enjoys big occasions like this World Cup. Rohit’s presence in the Indian top-order will present a big threat to the New Zealand bowling lineup.

Devon Conway has been impressive as a batsman ever since he made the debut for New Zealand. India needs to pick his wicket early to unsettle the New Zealand middle order.

 

What to Expect:

So far in this World Cup, the coin toss has played a monumental role in terms of dictating the fate of the match, with all three grounds in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah having a dew factor in the second half innings.  Although winning the toss is solely by chance, chasing seems to be the mantra of success.  Therefore, both teams will most likely choose to field first to get the most out of the conditions.  For example, against Pakistan, the Indian seamers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami struggled with their line and length, delivering short and loose balls to the opponent’s advantage.

Seeking to win the Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time, Kane Williamson’s squad is headlined by an all-star bowling group.  As of late, India has had a very tough time against New Zealand in the major tournament with the latest casualty being a loss in the Test Championship Final against this same opposition.  Having said that, this World Cup happens to be Virat Kohli’s last assignment as the T20 captain for India, which has a strong side and mettle to respond from their initial loss in the tournament.  Considering the build-up of this crucial must-win for both squads, the match is expected to be extremely competitive where both teams will be desperate to register their maiden win in the tournament.

Full squad for India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami; Stand-by: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur

Full squad for New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee; Injury cover: Adam Milne

Predicted India XI vs New Zealand: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja/Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

 

Predicted New Zealand XI vs India:  Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert(wk), Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell/Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

 

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