India v New Zealand, 2nd ODI – New Zealand Predicted XI

India were the hot favourites before the start of the ongoing New Zealand series. The home team was in great form coming into the series as they had registered a comprehensive 4-1 series win against Australia. But New Zealand surprised hosts by registering a comfortable 6-wicket win in the first ODI of the 3-match series.

Trent Boult got the early wickets to push India back and from there India kept playing the catch up throughout the game. Virat Kohli played a masterclass to take India to 280 which was a par score on the pitch. New Zealand lost few quick wickets and looked in a spot of bother before Tom Latham and Ross Taylor came together and provided a stability to the proceedings.

They built a partnership of 200 to take Kiwis to the brink of victory. In the second ODI of the series, Virat Kohli‘s men would come back as wounded tigers on the Kiwis, so the visitors would have to be on their toes if they want to take an unassailable lead in the series. New Zealand would try to come with the best possible team combination in the second ODI of the series.

Let’s have a look at their predicted XI for the 2nd ODI:

Openers (Martin Guptill and Colin Munro)

Martin Guptill batted well in the first ODI as he built a decent opening partnership with Colin Munro. He was not at his free-scoring best as he tried to build a strong platform for the middle-order. He scored at a strike-rate of just 66.66, while we know he is capable of providing fast starts at the start of the innings.

Just like Guptill, Colin Munro also curbed his natural instincts of going after the bowling. Munro hit a six in his innings of 28 before being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. New Zealand would hope to see few more sixes from him in the second ODI.

Middle Order (Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls)

Kane Williamson, who is the captain of New Zealand team uncharacteristically got out on a low score on Sunday. The Kiwi batsman failed to get any rhythm in his innings before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. He would be aiming to prove a point in the 2nd ODI.

Ross Taylor must be counting himself unlucky to have missed out on a well deserved century in the first ODI. The right-handed batsman played extremely well to score 95 as he along with Tom Latham built a brilliant partnership to take New Zealand on the cusp of victory. The black caps would be expecting to see Taylor in similar form in the second ODI too.

Henry Nicholls didn’t have much to do in the first ODI as Kiwis just needed one run to win when he came to the crease. He did finish the match in style as he hit a boundary on the first ball of his innings. He would be hoping to make most of the opportunity if he gets to bat in the first ODI.

Wicket-Keeper (Tom Latham)

Tom Latham was the star of the show in the first ODI. He kept wickets for 50 overs in the trying conditions before coming to bat. Latham scored a brilliant century as he built a 200-run partnership with Ross Taylor which proved to be decisive. New Zealand must be happy to have found the replacement for Luke Ronchi.

All-Rounders (Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner)

Grandhomme didn’t have a much say in the first ODI. He didn’t get the chance to bat and Williamson only gave him the ball for only four overs. He conceded at an economy of close to 7 runs per over. The Kiwi all-rounder would be hoping to put a better show on Wednesday.

Mitchell Santner bowled very economically to put brakes on the Indian innings. He also picked the wicket of Kedar Jadhav who regularly failed to get him away. New Zealand must be delighted with the efforts of their premier spinner and would be hoping for the same in the remaining games of the series.

Pace bowlers (Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult)

Tim Southee failed to get much success in the opening match of the series. He leaked runs at an average of more than 7, giving away 73 runs in the 10 overs. He did pick 3 wickets but they came at the latter stages of the inning. Southee is a great swing bowler who has served New Zealand cricket for a number of years. The Kiwi pacer would be determined to do better in the remaining games.

Adam Milne is known for his ability to bowl quick, he regularly bowls at more than 145 kilometres per hour. Even he failed to build any pressure on the Indian batsman in the opening game. He failed to control the scoring and leaked runs at a high economy rate. He couldn’t even complete his quota of 10 overs giving away 62 runs in 9 overs.

Trent Boult was seen as the trump card for New Zealand before the start of series. Indian batsmen have recently struggled against left-arm fast bowlers. Boult was on song on Sunday as he took two wickets in his opening spell to push India back. After the opening burst, Boult came back at the death to take wickets of MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya just when they looked to put the foot on the accelerator.