NZ vs IND, 2nd T20I: Kane Williamson elects to field
Hosts New Zealand are up against India in the second T20I of the three-match series. With the opening game getting abandoned due to rain, the series has effectively turned into a two-match affair. Both teams reached the semi-final of the recently-concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2022 but could not get the glory. NZ skipper Kane Williamson has won the toss and elected to field.
Here are the two teams
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-Keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya (captain), Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal. New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wicket-Keeper), Kane Williamson (captain), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui will host this duel. Sides batting first have won nine of 12 T20Is here with the average first-innings score reading 165. With the boundaries being on the shorter side, bowlers can have a hard time here. The match will be telecast live on DD Sports (12:00 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Amazon Prime Video app (paid subscription).
Here is the head-to-head record
India have a slender lead over NZ in terms of head-to-head record in T20Is (11-9). Their preceding meeting in the format saw India whitewashing the Black Caps 3-0 in a home T20I series last year. On New Zealand soil, the two sides previously met in 2020, and the Men in Blue recorded a 5-0 triumph. Super over determined the result twice in the series.
Who are the key performers?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has so far scalped 36 T20I wickets in 2022, third-most for any bowler. Suryakumar Yadav has scored 1,040 T20I runs this year at an astonishing strike rate of 185.71 (50s: 9, 100: 1). Devon Conway's average of 49.36 is the second-highest among batters with at least 1,000 runs in T20Is. Tim Southee is the leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 129 scalps.
