India clinched a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand on Friday. Ahead of the first T20I, skipper Virat Kohli may have said that “NZ guys are too nice to take revenge,” however, team India wiped out the Kiwis with all guns blazing. The ‘Men in Blue’ will confront the ‘Black Caps’ in the second fixture of the tournament scheduled to take place on 26 Jan at 12:20 PM in Eden Park. While the visitors are brimming with confidence and are prepared to cross swords with the hosts, the Kiwis have pulled up their socks to fight back in the upcoming encounter.
In the last clash, Shreyas Iyer emerged as the star with the bat as he slammed 58 runs (not out), guiding India to victory. Virat Kohli (45 off 32 balls) and K L Rahul (56 off 27 balls) laid a solid foundation to complete a tricky chase with ease. Considering the flawless performances that Indian batsmen and bowlers delivered in the first T20I encounter, Virat is not likely to tweak his playing XI for the second match. Only one major change is expected and that is, the replacement of Shardul Thakur with Navdeep Saini as the former did not do any wonders with the ball lately.
In the absence of premium NZ pacers Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry, the hosts failed to make an impact on their home soil. With the likes of Martin Guptill (30), Colin Munro (48), NZ skipper Kane Williamson (51) and Ross Taylor (54*) who displayed power-packed performances in the first match, NZ team will enhance their chances of winning the second face off.
Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
The pitch at Eden Park is known to assist batsmen in scoring big targets. The captain winning the toss is likely to opt for batting first.
On Sunday, it will be partly cloudy with 17°C to 24°C temperature during the course of the play. There is a little possibility (10%) of rain spoiling the game with 72% of humidity levels.
Probable Playing XI
India: 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: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Tim Seifert(w), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Hamish Bennett
Key Players
India
Shreyas Iyer
K L Rahul
New Zealand
Kane Williamson
Ish Sodhi
