India sealed victory in the first T20I of the five-match series, decimating the Kiwis by six wickets. Both the teams showcased their calibre in the first fixture and now they are bracing up for another action-packed battle on 26 Jan. The match will set in motion at 12:20 PM in Eden Park. In the first match, Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 58, K L Rahul’s impressive knock of 56 from 27 balls and skipper Virat Kohli’s 45 runs off 32 deliveries cruised India to victory and kept Indian cricket fans at the edge of their seats. Unfortunately, Rohit Sharma fell early in India's chase, but India’s incredible batting line-up steadied the innings.
Meanwhile, Black Caps posted a competitive target of 204 for India, thanks to the efforts of Colin Munro, skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor who slammed quickfire half-centuries. But India chased the mammoth target in no time.
The second match of the tournament will be another dynamic encounter, putting pressure on New Zealand to put their best foot forward and win. India, on the other hand, will aim to continue their red-hot form.
Pitch Report & Weather Conditions
The pitch at Eden Park, Auckland is known for great batting conditions, making it easy for the batsmen to score high. The team chasing the target will fancy their chances to win.
The weather reports indicate favourable conditions at the time of the match as the temperature will be around 17°C to 24°C with no chance of rain on Sunday.
Team News
India
- Since Indian batting line-up already looks formidable, Kohli will not tinker with the playing XI too much at this early stage.
- If there is any big change expected at this point, then that would be the replacement of Shardul Thakur or Mohammad Shami, who did not display good performance in the previous match.
- The underperforming bowling force calls for a sensible choice in the next match and therefore, Navdeep Saini is likely to make a comeback in the squad to strengthen the bowling attack.
Probable Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, K L Rahul (w), Virat Kohli(c), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami
New Zealand
- New Zealand’s batting unit looks equally strong as ‘Men in Blue.’ Thus, there will be no significant changes in the squad.
- One critical change that could be made in the bowling unit is that of Blair Tickner being replaced by Scott Kuggeleijn.
- Hamish Bennett’s debut did not turn out to be instrumental for the bowling department. Overall, NZ needs to work on its fielding concerns to win the second contest.
Probable Playing XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Tim Seifert(w), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Scott Kuggeleijn, Hamish Bennett
Key Players
India
Shreyas Iyer
K L Rahul
New Zealand
Kane Williamson
Ish Sodhi
