Supreme Sundays are back and we have a virtual knockout on the cards as India takes on New Zealand. Both the teams lost their first match to the same opponent, Pakistan, who are in a different league at the moment, winning three out of three matches and are ascertained semi-finalists as things stand.
For both India and New Zealand, this is a do-or-die scenario and a loss in this match would make it very difficult for the losing team to qualify. So will India come back stronger or will the Indians have to deal with another spoiled Sunday?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (19:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (19:30 IST)
Match Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Head to Head (T20Is)
Matches Played: 16, India: 8, New Zealand: 8
Weather conditions and pitch
Team News
For India, Hardik Pandya's fitness was always a concern but as per the latest updates, he is fit and running. He was also captured bowling so India fans get ready for some action.
Hardik Pandya bowled around 15 minutes in the nets and practised some big shots under the supervision of Ms dhoni #TeamIndia #BCCI #T20WorldCup #HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/UDIgHMHBAI
— SPREAD.DHONISM 🦁™ (@Spreaddhonism7) October 27, 2021
We do feel he still won't ball until very necessary. For the Kiwis, Martin Guptill's fitness was a concern but he is most likely to feature for the Black Caps. He is not just experienced but his contribution and charisma on the field is something New Zealand would want in this crucial match against India.
Probable Playing XI
India (IND): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(C), Ishan Kishan/Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya/Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Bhuvineshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.
New Zealand (NZ): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson ©, Jimmy Neesham, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (WK), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Tim Southee.
Must Picks
Virat Kohli, Martin Guptill, and Rohit Sharma are must picks and you'll know the reason soon. The Kiwi skipper will also be instrumental for New Zealand and an all-rounder from each team is inevitable too.
Ravindra Jadeja from India and Daryl Mitchell from New Zealand. Both have looked good and we can expect them to play a bigger role in this important clash.
Key Stats
#The top three run-getters in T20Is will all be featuring in this match.
Virat Kohli has 3216 runs in 90 T20I matches.
Martin Guptill has 2956 runs in 103 T20I matches. Guptill is 44 runs away from 3000 T20I runs.
Rohit Sharma has 2684 runs in 112 T20I matches.
#The last time the two sides met in the shortest format was the 5-match bilateral series held in New Zealand, the series went in favor of the Indian side, which they won by a dominating margin of 5-0. However, we did see two matches going to a super over, are we in for a lung opener once again?
IND vs NZ Fantasy Team
Captain and Vice-captain Picks
Prediction
Both the teams have great squads but India's seem to be more balanced. New Zealand still haven't adapted to the pitches in the best possible way and extracting swing from it has been a concern.
Both teams would be hoping to win the toss as it will be a huge factor as well.
Cricwizz predicts India to win against New Zealand.
Disclaimer
All the information on Cricwizz is published in good faith and for general information purposes only. The website does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. The website will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.