Second T20I: India win toss, opt to field against New Zealand
Raipur, January 23
India won the toss and decided to field first against the Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand in the second T20I of the five-match series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Friday.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led Men in Blue have 1-0 lead in the high-voltage T20I series against the Black Caps. The hosts won the opening contest by 48 runs, with opener Abhishek Sharma winning the Player of the Match for his blistering half-century.
The five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand will help both countries prepare for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, starting next month in India and Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar said all-rounder Axar Patel will not play due to an injury and speedster Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the second T20I. Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav have returned to the playing XI.
"There is already dew out there, and India haven't chased in recent times, so they want to chase. The same wicket that was used in the ODI series. Axar Patel is missing out due to injury, and Bumrah is resting, with Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav coming into the XI," the Indian captain said.
New Zealand captain Santner said they have made three changes to the team with Tim Seifert, Zak Foulkes and Matt Henry returning to the playing XI.
Teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Tim Seifert(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting team changes from both sides. Resting Bumrah makes sense with the World Cup so close, but I hope our bowling attack doesn't miss him too much tonight. Kuldeep's return is a big plus.
Abhishek Sharma was on fire last match! Hope he gives us another explosive start. The batting lineup looks solid, but a bit concerned about the middle order if we lose early wickets. Fingers crossed!
Perfect decision to field first. The dew will be a massive advantage in the second innings. This series is crucial for finalising our World Cup squad. Let's see who grabs their opportunity.
While I understand managing player workload, resting Bumrah in a live series always feels a bit risky. New Zealand's batting can be dangerous. Hope the decision doesn't backfire.
So happy to see Sanju Samson in the playing XI! He deserves a consistent run. Hope he and Ishan Kishan have a good partnership. Come on, Team India! Let's make it 2-0! 🏏
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