With the Ashish Nehra’s retirement stole the maximum limelight in the opening game of the 3-match T20I series between India and New Zealand in Delhi, the series moves to Rajkot with the visitors requiring a definite win to keep it alive.
For a team that was proud of their fielding, they had a nightmare of sorts in Delhi; as many as three catches were dropped, which cost them heavy as the Indian openers amassed 158 for the first wicket. New Zealand’s ground fielding wasn’t up to their normal standards either. Whether it was dew or the pressure of the game, Kane Williamson said there were no excuses. And there weren’t, with them being defeated in all three departments.
On Saturday, they have the chance to level the series by correcting the mistakes done in the heavy 53-run loss. Opener Colin Munro’s opening slot is still unsure as After a brilliant half-century in the final ODI in Kanpur, he was demolished by a beautiful yorker from Bhuvneshwar Kumar that rattled his stumps. Skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham hung around a bit, but it was too much too little for New Zealand.
Ahead of the 2nd T20I, Munro was seen hitting the nets following New Zealand’s fielding drills at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. He had a good hit-out in the nets against some pace and then against the spin of Ish Sodhi. Glenn Phillips practiced few scoop shots and got five of five right against a net bowler before Tim Southee ran in and yorked him.
What New Zealand has lacked has been a strong finisher down the order as the tour has been pretty demeaning for Colin de Grandhomme including the A tour. Having played one good knock in Pune, he has been ordinary for the squad after, that has been in situations where they could’ve done with runs from him.
However, men in blue decided to take it easy after their huge win in Delhi. They didn’t train on the eve of the second game. The six-bowler ploy – including Hardik Pandya – in Delhi, with lots of dew around, gave them rich dividends. In Rajkot though, given that the deck is flat with a lot of runs in it, they thus, might go with the same squad as they do have a proper all-rounder as Hardik.
India’s attacking display from the openers forced New Zealand to go on backfoot in Delhi, in an attempt to cut down the flow of runs. If Rajkot’s surface has little in it for the bowlers, it could be a repeat with the sun having beaten down hard all day.
Pitch and Weather Conditions
A hot and dry day in Gujarat with temperatures more than 36 in the day, but cooling off towards the evening, will be a bonus for New Zealand as the match will only be played in the latter half of the day. Pitch looked absolutely dry with negligible grass, which is of little help to the bowlers.
India’s strategy of going in with six bowlers in Delhi might be continued and with Ashish Nehra gone, they might slot Mohammad Siraj of Kuldeep Yadav in the squad, given that the batting is still strong, and deep as well.
On the other hand, after seeing Glenn Phillips long hit-out in the nets on Friday, he might get a chance ahead of Tom Bruce. The top order batsman won’t mind a middle-order role, although he played in the top four in the tour games.
Probable XIs:
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammad Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips/ Tom Bruce, Collin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Staner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi and Trent Boult.
