2nd T20I, IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma elects to field
India will be aiming to seal the T20I series against New Zealand, when the two sides meet tonight in the second contest of the three-match series. Having won the first T20I in Jaipur, India will want more significance. Meanwhile, the Kiwis would want to bounce back. The news from the center is that Rohit Sharma has won the toss and will be fielding first.
Key details about the match
The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi will host the second T20I. It will begin at 7:00 PM IST. Batters enjoy playing on this venue as it offers a flat deck. Meanwhile, the spinners can be in action due to longer boundaries. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
India to play their third T20I in Ranchi
India will play only their third T20I in Ranchi. They won the previous two against Australia and Sri Lanka. The average first innings score on the venue is 157. Notably, India scored 196/6 here against Sri Lanka in the 2016 T20I.
Presenting the head-to-head record
The two sides have met 18 times in T20Is, with the head-to-head series tied at 9-9. Notably, India won two of these matches through Super Over. India routed the Black Caps 5-0 in the five-match T20I series in NZ last year. Besides, NZ beat India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Kiwis are yet to win a bilateral T20I series in India.
A look at the two teams
India playing XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel New Zealand playing XI: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (c), Adam Milne, Trent Boult
Harshal Patel set for his T20I debut
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel has been handed his T20I cap. Harshal was terrific for RCB and claimed 32 wickets at just 14.34.
