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New Zealand vs India: Here's Probable India XI for 2nd T20I

Team India would aim to produce a better show in the 2nd T20I and must be looking to make some changes to their side to make it more balanced. Here's what India's Probable XI might look like in 2nd T20I:

New Zealand vs India: Heres Probable India XI for 2nd T20I

New Delhi, Feb 7: Having been outclassed in all the departments of the game in the opening game, Team India would be having their tasks cut out when they face New Zealand in the second Twenty20 international at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday (February 8).

Winning the second T20I becomes all more important for the Men In Blue in order to keep their hopes in the three-match series alive.

Tim Siefert's blitz with the bat, followed by a clinical effort from the bowlers, which was brilliantly led by senior-pro Tim Southee handed India their worst-ever defeat in the T20Is.

INDvNZ 2nd T20I: PreviewINDvNZ 2nd T20I: Preview

Rohit Sharma and his band were no match to their Kiwi counterparts at Westpac Stadium, where they are yet to beat the hosts in a T20I encounter. Except for winning the toss, there was hardly any positives for the visitors to take from the game.

The pacers failed to get those early breakthroughs in the powerplay which laid a perfect foundation for the hosts to capitalise on. Even in the middle overs, the Indian bowlers failed to put a break on the flow of runs and this would be the area they must be looking to improve.

Wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal didn't get much support from the other bowlers as they couldn't choke the flow of runs even as wickets fell in the second half of the New Zealand innings. India would be looking to improve in this area.

Another concern for the Men In Blue was their poor response with the bat on a pitch which was good to score even in the second innings. But, perhaps, the pressure of chasing a mammoth total of 220 got the better of the Indians as they didn't last full 20 overs. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan couldn't get an explosive start needed in a big run chase and fell cheaply. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya too failed to get going in the big run chase.

Team India would, therefore, aim to produce a better show in the 2nd T20I and must be looking to make some changes to their side to make it more balanced.

Here's what India's Probable XI might look like in 2nd T20I:

1. Rohit Sharma

1. Rohit Sharma

The first T20I was a forgettable one for Rohit Sharma both as a batsman as well as the skipper. With the bat, he failed to score runs as he was dismissed cheaply for 1 in the run chase while as the captain his decision to field after winning the toss also backfired.

Rohit would be looking to learn from the mistakes in the first game and put up a better show in both the departments. He might also consider making a change in his playing XI at Auckland as well.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

2. Shikhar Dhawan

The left-handed opening batsman got to a decent start in the run chase of 220 in the opening game but Dhawan failed to convert it into the big total. In a big run chase, it gets important that one of the top-order batsmen scores aggressively and converts the good start into a big knock.

Also, India relies heavily on the shoulders of their top-three when it comes to doing the bulk of the scoring. But it wasn't the case with Dhawan in the first T20I, as a result, India lost by a whopping margin of 80 runs.

3. Vijay Shankar

3. Vijay Shankar

The all-rounder from Tamil Nadu was utilised as a genuine batsman in the opening T20I and seemed as if he's started from where he left in the fifth ODI against the Kiwis.

Shankar played a good hand with the bat as he scored a decent 27 in the run chase but just like others, he too lost his wicket at a critical juncture. He would once again to bat at the top-order, looking at the sublime touch he's in.

4. MS Dhoni

4. MS Dhoni

The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman was the top-scorer for India in the previous game with 39 but it wasn't amongst those knocks that Dhoni's fans would remember him for.

Since he had to bat mostly with the lower middle-order the Ranchi-cricketer never looked to hit too many balls.

He forged a partnership of 51-runs with Krunal Pandya for the eighth-wicket. While many felt that the 37-year-old should have batted at No. 4 in Wellington for he could have ensured the others to bat around him. In the second T20I, Dhoni might be asked to bat one spot higher in the order.

5. Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant

5. Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant

The Tamil Nadu cricketer also had a forgettable outing in the previous game. Barring that brilliant catch of Daryl Mitchell on the boundary line, Karthik hardly had any positives to take from that game. He dropped a couple of sitters in the field and was a tad disappointing when it came to batting. However, given his experience and form, Karthik might get preference over young Rishabh Pant in the second T20I.

Rishabh Pant:

The young Turk was included in the Playing XI for the first T20I but the explosive left-handed failed to leave his mark in that game. The pressure of scoring quickly in a big run chase did its trick and Pant could never really get going. As a result, he was cleaned up for a paltry 4 by Mitchell Santner.

Pant - who was away from international cricket from quite some time - might be shown the confidence from the captain and get a longer run in the next two games. But he might get a chance only at the expense of Karthik.

6. Hardik Pandya

6. Hardik Pandya

He was one of the highlights of India's convincing win in the fifth ODI as he shined both with the bat as well as with the ball. But he looked a mere shadow of himself in the Wellington T20I.

The all-rounder bagged two wickets in the opening T20I but conceded 51 runs from his quota of 4 overs and scored just 4 runs with the bat. The team would expect a better show from the younger Pandya in the second game.

7. Krunal Pandya

7. Krunal Pandya

The elder Pandya brother had a decent outing in the previous game but the team would hope for an even better performance from him. As a spinner, he bagged a wicket and conceded 37 runs and as a batsman, he scored 20 from 18 deliveries.

His partnership of 51-runs with Dhoni ensured India didn't concede an even bigger defeat. But the all-rounder is capable of producing an even better show.

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One of the biggest reasons for India's defeat in the last game was that their premier pacer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, didn't have a good outing with the ball.

Bhuvneshwar didn't get a breakthrough early on and went for runs in the powerplay. Even in his second spell, the right-arm pacer wasn't as good as he can be. Captain Rohit Sharma would be hoping for a better performance from their strike pacer.

9. Kuldeep Yadav

9. Kuldeep Yadav

The chinaman has been one of the biggest weapons for India in the limited-overs cricket and his services were badly missed in the first game as the Kiwi batsmen picked up Krunal Pandya easily and scored against him.

Chahal was good from his end but there wasn't the support of his spin-twin at the other end. Hence, the flow of runs in the middle overs couldn't be stopped and India paid the price. Kuldeep would, therefore, return in the Playing XI on Friday.

10. Yuzvendra Chahal

10. Yuzvendra Chahal

The wrist-spinner was the most economical bowler for India in the first game. Chahal conceded just 37 runs from his 4 overs and picked up the all-important wicket of Kane Williamson. But he clearly felt the absence of a bowling partner at the other end who could complement him.

11. Khaleel Ahmed

11. Khaleel Ahmed

The left-arm pacer is yet to find his rhythm in the T20Is. He leaked runs at 12 per over in the previous game but that could be termed as one-off game as rest of the pacers too were taken to the cleaners.

Khaleel would himself be unhappy with his performances as he's failed to encash the opportunities he's been handed. But the team management might just stick with the youngster in the second game as well as see how he delivers.

Story first published: Thursday, February 7, 2019, 16:11 [IST]
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