02:00 PM UTC: India vs New Zealand, Group 2, Super 12s, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
India and New Zealand will clash for a marquee match-up in the ICC Men’s T-20 World Cup. Both teams lost to Pakistan in their first games but still in terms of talent and title odds, both teams have been dubbed as two of the strongest contenders.
Combinations for India
India had no chance against Pakistan and one of the things that deterred their progress turned out to be the fast bowling of the Men in Green. New Zealand’s fast bowling combination of Trent Boult and Tim Southee present a similar challenge, with both able to swing the ball. Historically too, some of the Indian openers like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have had trouble against them.
With the team relying heavily upon Virat Kohli, the middle-order saw only Pant firing with Jadeja and Hardik Pandya unable to get going. There can be some changes in this game with perhaps Shardul Thakur coming into the fray, someone who is a specialist bowler and can hit big shots too. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar Kumar could sit out for the game after a so-so performance against Pakistan.
New Zealand’s lackluster batting performance against Pakistan
New Zealand’s batting had no fizz against Pakistan with three batters scoring 25-odd but not going big and long till the end. Despite the last game’s implosion, the batting is intimidating with Martin Guptill at the top, Kane Williamson playing the anchor role, Conway able to blast it out of the park, Tim Seifert as another power-hitter, and Jimmy Neesham and Daryl Mitchell as floaters, who can be shuffled around the order. Maybe, the last game could be an exception.
Jaspreet Bumrah is India’s main bowling weapon and he will need to come up big in this game. Varun Chakravarthy posed no threat against Pakistan and may not play here. India will rely upon Jadeja for control and striking ability in middle-overs while Mohammad Shami’s swing bowling can come into display early. These two teams can end up playing a close game here considering the talent level at the display.