India enter the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur with significant momentum, leading the five-match series 1-0. After a dominant 48-run victory in the series opener at Nagpur, the Men in Blue will look to tighten their grip on the series before the action moves to Guwahati.
The hosts were powered by a sensational Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 84 off 35 balls in the first game. With Rinku Singh providing the late-overs blitz and Varun Chakaravarthy leading the spin department effectively, India’s T20 World Cup preparations look on track.
The Kiwis struggled early in Nagpur, losing key wickets of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra within the first two overs. While Glenn Phillips kept them in the hunt with a defiant 78, the middle order will need more stability to chase or set a competitive total on Raipur’s large outfield.
IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I: Match Details
- Date and Time: January 23 (Friday); 7:00 pm IST / 1:30 pm GMT
- Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur
IND vs NZ, Head-to-Head Record (T20Is):
Matches played: 26 | India won: 15 | New Zealand won: 10 | No result/Tied: 1
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium is traditionally balanced, offering a “sporting” surface that provides a fair contest between bat and ball. Initially, the black soil track offers good carry and bounce for pacers, but it tends to slow down as the game progresses, assisting spinners with natural grip and turn. A defining feature of this venue is its vast boundary dimensions, which makes clearing the ropes difficult and rewards smart placement. With significant dew expected in the evening, the toss will be crucial; chasing becomes considerably easier as the ball gets harder to grip.
Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Kristian Clarke (first three games), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi
Also READ: IND vs NZ: Arshdeep Singh reveals the key to thriving on batting-friendly pitches
IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- India wins the toss and bowls first
- New Zealand powerplay score: 45-55
- New Zealand total score: 170-180
Case 2:
- New Zealand wins the toss and bowls first
- India powerplay score: 60-70
- India total score: 210-220
Match result: India to win the contest
Also WATCH: Sanju Samson turns ‘Superman’ with brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Devon Conway during 1st T20I
