T20 World Cup 2021: Strongest India Predicted Playing XI against New Zealand

Team India will have a point to prove as they take on New Zealand in their second game in T20 World Cup 2021. The encounter takes place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (October 31). Having suffered a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan in their opening game, India suffered criticism from different parts. Defending 152, the Men in Blue couldn’t take a single wicket.

Hence, they would be determined to put up a better show. It has to be noted that India have never defeated New Zealand in T20 World Cups before. Also, the Kiwis have several match-winners in the ranks such as Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham. Hence, Virat Kohli’s men will have to put their best foot forward to bring their campaign back on track.

Meanwhile, here’s the predicted Playing XI of India for T20 World Cup 2021 Match 16:

Openers – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul 

Both Indian openers couldn’t do well against Pakistan and would like to put up a better show. While Rohit Sharma got out on a golden duck, KL Rahul managed just three runs. It was Shaheen Afridi’s stellar display with the new ball which got the better of Indian openers against Pakistan. With New Zealand having the services of Trent Boult, Rohit and Rahul must come up with a better plan.

Not to forget, in-form Ishan Kishan warmed the benches against Pakistan. Hence, both openers must get among the runs soon as their failures would prompt the team management to bring the southpaw in the mix.

Middle-Order – Virat Kohli (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK)

While many Indian batters failed against Pakistan, skipper Virat Kohli was the lone warrior. The veteran batter put up a brilliant fight and stabilized the Indian innings after the fall of early wickets. He even went onto score a half-century and won’t mind getting the milestone again. Suryakumar Yadav started off aggressively against Pakistan and played a couple of delightful shots.

However, he paid the price of being too aggressive and got out on 11. As far as Rishabh Pant is concerned, the dasher enhanced India’s scoring rate with a quickfire 39 off 30 deliveries. However, he got out at a very crucial time as India couldn’t post a daunting total. Pant will also have the onus to impress with his glovework.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja

There has been a lot of hullaballoo over Hardik Pandya’s selection in the Indian team as he hasn’t been bowling lately. While he scored an eight-ball 11 against Pakistan, he remained away from bowling duties. Hence, many experts believe the all-rounder should be dropped for the crucial game against New Zealand.

However, skipper Virat Kohli is likely to persist with him. Ravindra Jadeja also couldn’t do much against Pakistan. Nevertheless, he was in stellar form during this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and expectations would be high from him.

Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

As mentioned above, India weren’t able to take a single wicket against Pakistan. Hence, several believe that there would be a couple of changes in the bowling line-up. However, Kohli isn’t likely to make any changes in this department either. Bumrah and Shami did exceptionally well in IPL 2021 and would be raring to bounce back against the Kiwis.

With an in-form Shardul Thakur warming the benches, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s place in the playing XI is under the scanner. However, the veteran pacer is a proven star of this format and won’t be dropped after just one dismal show. Varun Chakravarthy is also likely to retain his place as he kept the scoring rate down against Pakistan.

India’s Playing XI for New Zealand clash: Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy