NZ vs IND T20I Series 2022: India predicted XI against New Zealand for 2nd T20I

After the first T20I at the Sky Stadium in Wellington was called off because of rain, hosts New Zealand and India will now face off at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 20 to draw first blood in the series.

After their recent failure in the T20 WorldCup, both teams will have a massive opportunity to prove their strength and especially team India, who decided to give rest to many of their senior players.

With BCCI deciding to sack the entire selection committee, the young players in the Indian team will be hungry to perform under pressure and get their place cemented in the Indian T20I side.

The Men in Blue have defeated the Kiwis 11 times in 22 T20I matches, and lost nine games while two matches haven't yielded any result.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will be under pressure to perform well in their home conditions. After yet another disappointing result in an ICC tournament, the Kiwis have almost named a full-strength squad with captain Kane Williamson as the leader. He too will be hungry for runs after a poor season with the bat, which led Sunrisers Hyderabad to release him ahead of the new season.

Let’s look at India’s probable playing XI against New Zealand:

Openers: Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill

Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill can be the perfect openers for India in T20Is. The wicketkeeper-batter Ishan can play aggressive shots up front while Shubman Gill can hold one end and play the role of an anchor.

Despite having done well in whatever limited opportunities he has got, the opener was snubbed after a few disastrous performances. Therefore, he has a point to prove when India take on New Zealand at Bay Oval.

For Shubman it’s about sticking to his basics and cementing his spot in the shortest format. The elegant right-handed batter is one of the most talked about young cricketers in India but never gets enough opportunities in international cricket. If he indeed manages to prove himself in this series, Gill can find a permanent spot in the squad.

Middle-Order: Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk) and Sanju Samson

Batting at number three, Shreyas Iyer too will have a point to prove in the upcoming series. The Kolkata Knight Riders' captain was one of the stand-by players for the T20 World Cup 2022 and thus, will be eager to prove his class in the shortest format of the game. In 47 T20Is so far, the Mumbai-born cricketer has scored 1030 runs at a strike rate of 136.06.

The flamboyant Suryakumar Yadav is in the form of his life. The number one ranked T20I batter ended up as the third-leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup down under and will look forward to being in the same avatar against the Kiwis. In 40 T20Is so far, Suryakumar Yadav scored 1284 runs at a whopping strike rate of 179.07.

Batting at number five, Rishabh Pant will now have the liberty of playing freely as Sanju Samson at number six can come in and accelerate in case the former fails to fire. In 64 T20Is so far, the wicket-keeper batter scored 970 runs at a strike rate of 127.12. 

In the absence of Dinesh Karthik, Samson will have a massive opportunity to show his worth and get into India’s T20I scheme of things for an extended period. In 16 T20Is so far, Samson has scored 296 runs at a strike rate of 135.15.

All-rounder: Hardik Pandya

Stand-in captain, Hardik Pandya will look to prove his leadership credentials and make his case stronger as a leader in the shortest format. In his very first season as captain, he delivered success to Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. 

The 29-year-old has played 79 T20Is, scoring 1117 runs at a strike rate of 146.39. He is very flexible and can bat anywhere in the middle order. In addition to his batting prowess, the all-rounder can also contribute with the ball and has the stats in his favour. He has bagged 62 scalps thus far and would love to add a few more and lead by example.

Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik

After not playing a single match in the T20 World Cup 2022, spin wizard Yuzvendra Chahal will be charged up to prove his quality. Being the lone spinner in the squad, Chahal will have the responsibility to stop New Zealand’s middle order from scoring runs. In 69 T20I matches so far in his career, Chahal picked up 85 wickets at an economy of 8.12.

The pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik can be extremely dangerous in New Zealand conditions. After missing out on the T20 World Cup, Umran like many others will have a point to prove while Arshdeep was India's best bowler in the recent T20 extravaganza.

Bhvneshwar Kumar will have the responsibility to guide these young bowlers and bowl in the powerplay to fetch some crucial wickets. In 85 T20Is so far, the pacer has picked up 89 wickets at an economy of 6.97.

India predicted XI against New Zealand: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik