India won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the second T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24. With India leading the five-match series 1-0, the visitors will try to build on their advantage.
The biggest talking point is the return of teenage batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to the team. The youngster gets an opportunity after wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was ruled out of the match due to a low-grade right adductor strain.
India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I: Playing XIs
- India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav.
- New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy.
India have made changes to their combination with Prince Yadav coming into the side. New Zealand have also brought Jacob Duffy into the reported XI in place of Adam Milne.
Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in focus?
Sooryavanshi is back in India as a young batsman. That was a big deal and so was the fact that he was always aggressive in his approach and he was putting pressure on opponents who were putting him out there.
International cricket presents a different challenge, however. New Zealand will want to test him with disciplined bowling, changes of pace and pressure during the powerplay.
The key question is whether Sooryavanshi can translate his talent into any kind of meaningful contribution at this level. A strong start could see him get into the innings and a good performance would make the team management consider him for future games.
Can Sooryavanshi make this opportunity count?
The opportunity has arrived in the wake of Kishan’s injury rather than a planned long-term change. So this match would be important for the young batter to show that he can compete with an experienced international attack.
India's previous match showed the team's batting strength. The visitors were able to chase down New Zealand's 225-run target with four wickets left, with contributions from Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Naman Dhir and Axar Patel.
Sooryavanshi may not need to score a huge total to make an impact. A quick start, sensible shot selection and the ability to handle pressure could be equally valuable.
India Will Aim to Take a 2-0 Lead
India’s bowlers will also be under pressure as they conceded 225 runs in the opening game. The first-ball strategy gives them an immediate opportunity to improve their performance and limit New Zealand to a manageable total.
New Zealand will try to use home conditions to level the series. Their batters showed they could score freely in the first match, but their bowling attack needs to be better.
The second T20I is going to be an exciting match with the series at stake and Sooryavanshi back in the spotlight. The teenager now has a chance to make the attention around his selection into a performance that matters.
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