IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I: Santner opts to bat
Having clinched the series opener, New Zealand would look to seal the deal as they take on India in the second T20I of the three-match series. Meanwhile, India have many areas to work on as they eye a series-leveling win. The news from the center is that NZ skipper Mitchell Santner has won the toss and will bat first.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow will host the duel on Sunday (January 29). Eight T20Is have been played at the venue, with the average first-innings score being 157. Sides batting first have won five times here. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (7:00 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Here is the head-to-head record
India and New Zealand are neck-to-neck in terms of head-to-head record. The two sides have clashed in 23 T20Is, with India winning 12 of them. NZ have won 10, while one resulted in a tie. The Men in Blue routed the Kiwis 1-0 in their last bilateral T20I assignment, in 2022. NZ last won a bilateral T20I series versus India in 2019.
Here are the key performers
Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 47 in the opener, has been sensational in T20Is, having mustered 1,625 runs at a strike rate of 178.76. Washington Sundar recorded figures of 2/22 in the series opener besides scoring a 28-ball 50. Daryl Mitchell smashed an unbeaten 30-ball 59 in the opener. Among batters with at least 1,000 T20I runs, Devon Conway has the second-best batting average (48.88).
Presenting the Playing XI of both sides
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh. New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner.
India make one change; NZ stick to the same XI
Ace leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal replaces pacer Umran Malik. Meanwhile, the Kiwis have named an unchanged side.
