India’s performance ahead of the T20 World Cup, where they enter as defending champions, provided warning messages to competitors, even though individual areas for growth emerged from an overwhelming victory in the first Twenty20 against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday.
In the second Twenty20 international on Friday in Raipur, Ishan Kishan would be better suited to make the few opportunities count, while Sanju Samson would want to excel in a much-needed stable place at the top of the order.
Samson, who has been in and out of the starting eleven for no fault of his own, will now undoubtedly have a longer run ahead of the T20 World Cup next month.
Samson would be eager to showcase the variety of shots that have allowed him to score three hundreds in the shortest format after being dismissed for a low score in the series opener.
Kishan, who was unexpectedly added to the World Cup squad and played ahead of Shreyas Iyer on Wednesday night in Nagpur, is another batter who must earn the trust of the team management.
Before getting trapped at cover, the southpaw had a brief but impressive stay. The majority of Indian players strive to knock every ball out of the park when batting till number eight. Kishan would keep taking that bold stance, and all he can do is hope it succeeds.
Prior to the ICC event, captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form has been the focus. Although he was unable to contribute significantly, the 32 off 22 balls would have greatly boosted his confidence.
Abhishek Sharma needs to keep breathing fire at the top of the order like he did on Wednesday night if India is to become the first side to defend the T20 World Cup title. The left-hander has demonstrated a unique ability to hit the majority of balls out of the ground and appears to be in the form of his life.
Another significant plus for India was Rinku Singh’s return to the team and his immediate impact in the lower order.
The bowling department appears to be well-rounded even without Kuldeep Yadav. Jasprit Bumrah can be employed for three overs after the powerplay if Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya continue to take wickets, providing the team with an extra weapon in the middle overs.
India was able to eliminate the dew problem in Nagpur, mostly because of the enormous total. Dew is also anticipated in Raipur and no total would be secure, as South Africa demonstrated last month when they easily chased down 359 against the hosts in an ODI.
New Zealand is aware that their bowling performance was inadequate, and since they are a team that picks things up quickly, they would be supporting themselves to tie the series.
Devon Conway’s recent style of dismissals—being caught in the slip cordon off away moving balls—would cause them some concern.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Devon Conway, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Robinson, Jimmy Neesham, Ish Sodi, Zak Foulkes, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy
