New Zealand vs India 2019, 3rd T20I: Preview and predicted playing XI
The second T20I was another match which was dominated by the Indian bowling. It was India's first T20I at the Eden Park and the Indian team was just brilliant throughout. New Zealand were batting first and did not get the start that they would have expected. The first wicket fell in the third over. Krunal Pandya was the pick of the bowlers from the Indian side. His efforts helped the Indian team to restrict the Kiwis to a modest total of 158 runs.
India had a fantastic start with the opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan putting 79 runs for the opening wicket. Rohit Sharma became the top run-scorer in international T20s. He surpassed Martin Guptill of New Zealand. Rishabh Pant also showed how hard he can hit the ball by scoring an unbeaten 40. India chased down the target in 18.5 overs. Krunal Pandya won the Man of the Match award for picking up three wickets.
The decider of the series will be played in Wellington on Sunday. India would like to continue their unbeaten winning streak in T20Is. India have not lost the last 10 T20I series that they have played.
The Indian team looked comfortable today and most probably, the Indian team will go with an unchanged playing XI. They might think of Kuldeep Yadav but it is highly unlikely that Rohit Sharma will tinker with the winning combination.
Predicted Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
New Zealand, on the other hand, would not be happy with their inconsistent batting performances throughout the Indian series. Kane Williamson would want his batsman to show more composure on the pitch.
New Zealand have played 8 T20Is at Wellington and it has been a happy hunting ground for them. They have won 6 matches out of those 8 matches. New Zealand might be thinking of bringing James Neesham back in playing XI to increase their batting strength.
Predicted Playing XI: Colin Munro, Tom Seifert, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, Mitchel Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, and Lockie Ferguson.