T20 World Cup 2021: New Zealand opener Martin Guptill declared fit for India clash

India and New Zealand will be facing each other in a crucial face-off on Sunday in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. Both the teams lost to Pakistan in their previous game and this is virtually being tipped as a knock-out game for both sides. Pakistan have already won all their three matches almost sealing their position in the semi-finals and the team winning on Sunday will most likely to make it to the top two.

New Zealand, meanwhile, had fitness concerns with Martin Guptill getting hit on the left toe by a pacy delivery from Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf. There were concerns around his availability for the India game.

However, the Kiwi pacer Trent Boult has confirmed that Guptill is fit for an all-important game against India in the pre-match press conference. This comes as a huge relief for the BlackCaps who will be aware of Virat Kohli and his men coming hard at them after a 10-wicket loss against Pakistan.

As for Martin Guptill, the opening batter scored only 17 runs in the previous encounter and at times, looked in good touch as well. Having recovered from a bruised toe, he will be keen on making a lasting impact against India.

Boult threat for team India

The left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi nipped out India’s big three – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli – in their opening game. Now New Zealand’s left-arm quick Trent Boult is also hoping to repeat what Shaheen did to the Men in Blue. He is expecting for him to get some swing with the new ball to catch India’s top-order by surprise with his variations.

“The way Shaheen bowled was amazing, hopefully, it swings for me as well and I can do what Shaheen did in the other night against India,” Boult said. It will be interesting how the likes of Rohit and Rahul tweak their batting style to face New Zealand pacers who will be hostile with the new ball given their vulnerability early on in the innings.

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