New Zealand vs India 2nd T20I 2022: Key player battles
New Zealand will be up against India in the second T20I of the three-match series on November 20. One will expect a full match on offer after the New Zealand versus India opening T20I got washed out due to rain on Friday. Both sides have quality names on the roster and we expect a close contest. Here we decode the key player battles.
Devon Conway vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Devon Conway has been instrumental to NZ's recent success in T20Is. Among batters with at least 1,000 T20I runs, Conway has the second-highest average (49.36). The opener is set to tackle Bhuvneshwar Kumar early on. The latter enjoys operating with the new ball and also has a good record against left-handers. Bhuvneshwar has a T20I economy rate of 6.7 against left-handed batters (wickets: 23).
Suryakumar Yadav vs Lockie Ferguson
Suryakumar Yadav, who has been astonishing form lately, has scored over 1,000 T20I runs this year at a 180-plus strike rate. NZ skipper Kane Williamson might count on Lockie Ferguson to keep the Indian swashbuckler quiet. Ferguson, who can constantly clock over 145 kmph, has scalped 14 wickets in 11 T20Is in 2022. However, SKY strikes at 188.78 against right-arm pacers in T20Is.
Arshdeep Singh vs Kane Williamson
Williamson, whose strike rate has been a hot topic of discussion lately, will look to shut down his critics. However, India's new pace sensation Arshdeep Singh can dent his plans. Arshdeep has taken second-most T20I wickets (29) since his debut in the format in July this year. Williamson has fallen prey to left-arm pacers 13 times in 41 T20I innings (SR: 133.46).
Rishabh Pant vs Mitchell Santner
Coming to bat in the middle overs, Rishabh Pant can give New Zealand spinners a tough time. However, the wicketkeeper-batter must be careful against Mitchell Santner, who has dismissed Pant twice in four T20 meetings. Pant has a strike rate of 136.36 against the Kiwi left-arm spinner. Notably, Santner has scalped 23 wickets in 16 T20Is this year (ER: 6.54).
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).
