India v New Zealand, 2nd T20I – India Predicted XI

After a clinical win in the first T20I at Delhi, team India will now look to seal the series in the second game against New Zealand at Rajkot. This is not the first time that the venue at Rajkot will be hosting a T20I game. Earlier in 2013, the hosts had played Australia in a T20 fixture and had emerged as the winners by 6 wickets in that game.

The venue seems to be a happy hunting ground for the men in blue. Needless to add, they will look to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match series. For the visitors, the match will be all about survival. New Zealand have been a strong outfit in the shortest format of the game and are ranked second in the rankings in this format.

To live up to their name and justify the ranking, they need to come up with an improved show in the Rajkot fixture. The permutations and combinations have already begun. Team India also has a lot to think about their combinations leading in to the game. Ashish Nehra has retired and that has created a void in the lineup. So who could be the potential replacement?

Here is the India Predicted XI for the Rajkot T20I:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma)

Indian openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, look set in the opening slot. Both batsmen hammered big runs in the first match. They added a mammoth 158 run stand for the opening wicket – the highest ever T20I partnership for India in the history of the game. Both Dhawan and Rohit scored 80 runs each in the match.

There are no points for guessing that they are in a splendid touch. Rohit had earlier scored a ton in the final ODI of the series as well. A game prior to that, Shikhar Dhawan had compiled a well-timed fifty. The hosts will bank on their services to give the team a brisk start in Rajkot as well.

Middle-Order (Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer)

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been having tremendous time with the bat in the recent past. The dynamic batsman arrived in to the T20 series riding on a fine ton in the Kanpur ODI. He continued his good run with the bat and hit three maximums en route his unbeaten 25 in the first T20I. He will be itching to get more runs under his belt.

The Indian think tank certainly managed to surprise many with the inclusion of Shreyas Iyer in the lineup. Now, it will only be unfair to drop him from the side after just one game. The services of Iyer with the bat were not needed in the match. He will be looking for his opportunity to take the willow in hand.

Wicket-keeper (MS Dhoni)

Wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni lit up the stands at the Feroz Shah Kotla when he hit the very first ball that he faced in the match for a towering six over mid-wicket region. He showed that he is still one of the finest hitters in world cricket. With the gloves, he was superb as usual – claiming a couple of catches and a fine stumping to his name.

All-rounders (Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel)

Hardik Pandya has been the preferred all-rounder for the Indian team in the recent past. He had a poor time with the bat in the previous game. However, he was electrifying in the field and took a stunner to get rid of Martin Guptill in the game. Pandya will continue to be the team as a floating batsman.

He will be assisted by Axar Patel in the all-rounders’ department. Patel did nothing wrong in the first T20I to be dropped in this game. He had returned with figures of 1/20 in the match and was the most economical among all Indian bowlers. His services with the bat were not needed on the day.

Spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal)

In addition to Axar Patel, the team will have the services of Yuzvendra Chahal in the game. Kuldeep Yadav is also in the squad but it would not be prudent to tinker with the winning combination at the moment. Chahal bowled a fine spell in the previous game and deserves to get another go in this match.

Pace bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj)

The fast bowling department is certain to see some change. Ashish Nehra, who played the previous game, will not be available. It will be interesting to see if the team continues to play with three seamers in the lineup or go with just four bowlers – 2 spinners and 2 pacers. In all likelihood, seeing the way playing an extra seamer helped the team’s cause, it seems that India will field 2 spinners and 3 pacers.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was back to his prime best in the previous game. He was taken for aplenty in the final ODI and did well to dismiss Colin Munro in the previous match. Jasprit Bumrah had an off day at work in the game but he continues to be in the team. He is one of the finest death overs bowlers in Indian cricket circuit.

The selection conundrum would be over the third seamer. It is very much likely that the Hyderabad pacer, Mohammad Siraj, will make his debut in the match. Siraj has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit.