IND vs NZ Match Preview
India played five T20's against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in 2021 where the ball bounced a lot and the fast-bowlers had plenty to work with. If that is the case then Indian batters like Shubman Gill, SKY, and Hardik Pandya (who like the bounce and pace) have a good chance of scoring runs.
Pressure is mounting on Ishan Kishan who has not really done much opening the batting and this could be the last opportunity he gets. We think Prithvi Shaw is still likely to have to wait for his turn. Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda should continue to keep their place in the eleven.
India dropped Umran Malik for the previous match but we think he could make a comeback for this one. Having an express fast bowler could be crucial if the wicket is similar to what we saw last year. Hardik Pandya will himself also fancy bowling with the new ball.
New Zealand's batting lineup is pretty shallow and depends a bit too much on Devon Conway. Finn Allen is ultra-aggressive and can be devastating when he comes off but his success percentage is quite low. March Chapman has not looked the part so far and Glenn Phillips has struggled in India.
If the ball does do a bit off the surface, New Zealand will struggle.
The bowling lineup for New Zealand is quite spin-heavy. Michael Bracewell and Mitch Santner are the two leading spinners with support from Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, and even Glennn Phillips if required. Lockie Ferguson could be the bowler to watch out for in this match but Blair Tickner just does not seem to have the quality required for the top level of cricket.
Weather Report
There is no rain predicted in Ahmedabad and it could be quite warm as well. The humidity is also quite low and may not see too much dew in this match.
Pitch Report
The surface is something everyone will be keen to see and history suggests we should get a good batting surface with some extra bounce and pace for the fast-bowlers to work with.
A score of around 180 is on the cards batting first.
Notable stats
Dangerous Daryll Mitchell
We saw Daryll Mitchell smash five sixes in the first T20 international and he is capable of doing that again for sure. He has the highest strike rate so far (155.81) and can also bowl when the conditions assist him.
Team News
There are rumors that Prithvi Shaw may replace Ishan Kishan in the team but that is not yet confirmed. No major injury concerns for either team.
IND vs NZ Probable 11
IND Playing 11
- Ishan Kishan/Prithvi Shaw (Wk)
- Shubman Gill
- Rahul Tripathi
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya (C)
- Deepak Hooda
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Shivam Mavi
- Umran Malik
- Arshdeep Singh
NZ Playing 11
- Finn Allen
- Devon Conway (Wk)
- Mark Chapman
- Glenn Phillips
- Daryl Mitchell
- Michael Bracewell
- Mitchell Santner (C)
- Ish Sodhi
- Lockie Ferguson
- Jacob Duffy
- Blair Tickner
Dream11 Prediction
We think this is the match in which the Indian team has the best chance of winning. Its batters will enjoy the ball coming on to the bat and the bowlers have the tools to expose the New Zealand batting as well. More so than any other match, we believe that India is the team to back here.
Top Picks
SKY - This is the ground where SKY made his debut and started with a six off his first ball! He likes the bounce and is able to use the pace to his advantage. He is our pick for captain in this match.
Daryll Mitchell - In good form, Mitchell is another player that can be a match-winner. Lower owned than someone like Devon Conway, Mitchell offers a lot of value for both his batting and the occasional over he bowls.
Hardik Pandya - Captain of the Gujarat Titans, Pandya knows this venue very well. His bowling is going to be effective and we could see his big hitting in action as well.
IND vs NZ Dream11 Team 1
Batters: D Conway, S Yadav (C), D Mitchell (VC), G Phillips, R Tripathi, F Allen, S Gill
All-rounders: H Pandya
Bowlers: K Yadav, L Ferguson, A Singh
