India vs New Zealand 2019, 2nd T20I: Preview, Playing XI and Team News
The Men in Blue endured an 80-run thrashing by the Kiwis in the first T20I. Now the play shifts to the second match of the series at Auckland, where both teams will once again go head to head on Friday, February 8.
Head to Head Overall: The Kiwis certainly dominate the head to head score line by winning seven of the nine fixtures they played against India, which certainly gives them an upper hand ahead of the mega clash.
Head to Head in New Zealand: In the island nation, the Kiwis have managed to keep their head to head record intact and remain unbeaten on all three occasions when both teams have faced each other at Eden Park, which makes it even more exciting.
Previous Clash: In the opening fixture of ongoing T20I series at the Wellington, the hosts defeated the visitors by spectacular 80 run margin.
After being asked to bat first, New Zealand mounted on an impressive 86-run opening stand between Colin Munro and Tim Seifert and Scott Kuggeleijn (7-ball 20) cameo to post a strenuous 219 on the board.
In reply, the target seemed too demanding for the visitors. They were never in a position to give a fight to the hosts, and were eventually bundled out for a paltry 139.
New Zealand
The Kiwis were flawless in the series opener and will aim to continue it in the second game as well.
Though they will be quite worried about their previous record at this venue as they have lost five of their last six fixtures at the Eden Park.
Batting
The Kiwi batters were on another level in the previous fixture and came on the field with a clear intent to attack the Indian pacers.
Opener Tim Seifert, whose previous best score in T20 Internationals happens to be 14 was promoted as an opener and he made full use of this opportunity to score match defining 84 runs from 43 balls. His partner Colin Munro and skipper Kane Williamson, both chipped in their contribution by scoring 34 runs in 20 and 22 balls respectively.
All three will once again be key for the hosts. In case the top order fails, Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme will be expected to take the team towards a recent total.
Bowling
After an impressive show with the bat, the bowlers picked the momentum and guided all key Indian batsmen back to the pavilion inside 10.2 overs, which summarised the game on its own.
Tim Southee led the attack by picking up three wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs. While Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi also shared five wickets between them and will be expected to continue it in next fixture as well.
Expected Playing XI
Kane Williamson (C), Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Colin Munro and Tim Seifert.
India
The Men in Blue were left stunned by the kiwi attack in the first T20I, while skipper Rohit's decision to go with pace also surprised the pundits and one may expect few changes in next fixture.
Batting
The batsmen never kicked off during the chase and India kept loosing wickets at regular intervals, which made the road tougher for the visitors.
MS Dhoni was the pick of the lot as he scored 39 runs from 31 balls, while Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar with 29 and 27 runs were only other batters to show some grit.
The management will need the top order to contribute more in the next fixture and lay down a commanding platform to set the tone for a big total.
Bowling
The Indian pacers were wandering against the Kiwi's and this could lead skipper to reconsider Kedar Jadhav or Kuldeep Yadav for the next fixture, which means Krunal Pandya or Khaleel Ahmed might be asked to make may for them.
While Hardik picked two wickets, he was too expensive in the end giving away 51 runs in his four overs, while Yuzvendra Chahal was most economical of the lot to end with figures of 1/35 and he will be expected to chip in few tidy overs.
Expected Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni, Shubman Gill, Hardik/Krunal Pandya, Kedar Jadhav/Siddharth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Fantasy XI Prediction
Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Colin Munro, Tim Siefert, Tim Southee, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner and Vijay Shankar.