India hope to reverse T20I record in must-win match

New Zealand v India
2nd T20I
Eden Park, Auckland
Friday, 8 February; 1900 local time, 0600 GMT

Making it hard for the visitors to do that is the history – India have never won a T20I in New Zealand. What do they need to do to secure a historic win come Friday? They simply have to be their best in all facets of the game.

India were well beaten with both bat and ball in the opener. Their bowlers were all taken for runs, with Hardik Pandya, who picked up two wickets, the most expensive of the lot. Yuzvendra Chahal, who returned 1/35, was the most economical, but despite his best efforts, the 219/6 New Zealand posted was the highest at the Westpac Stadium.

Similarly, with the bat, there were starts from all of Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay Shankar and Krunal Pandya, each managing a score in the 20s. MS Dhoni rallied, even as wickets fell at the other end, to score a 31-ball 39. But quite simply, India needed a lot more on the day.

The good thing is that their mixture of youth and experience makes for fine balance in the side. They have fought back from similar situations before, and they have the ability to turn the tables. They will back themselves to do that on Friday.

It will prove difficult against New Zealand, no doubt. After losing the ODIs 4-1, the comprehensive manner of their victory in the first T20I would have boosted the home side's confidence.

The performance of 24-year-old Tim Seifert – he smashed a fiery 43-ball 84 at a mind-boggling strike-rate of 195 – bodes well for the remainder of the series.

Colin Munro returned to form again during his 20-ball 34, and with captain Kane Williamson scoring a quick 22-ball 34 as well, New Zealand are in the enviable position, where their top three are all firing in tandem.

There was further reason for cheer in Tim Southee's return to form. The pacer starred with 3/17 in Wellington, and New Zealand will once again bank on his ability to provide timely breakthroughs.

With Colin de Grandhomme, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner and Scott Kuggeleijn all capable with both bat and ball, along with Jimmy Neesham and Doug Bracewell, there is plenty of depth and balance in the squad.

As far as they are concerned, all they need to do now is replicate exactly what they did in the first T20I.

Key Players

Tim Seifert (New Zealand):"I wanted to make the most of it", Seifert said after the first T20I. The wicket-keeper batsman had scored just 42 runs from eight matches leading up to that first T20I. That in mind, Seifert surely did make the most of the opportunity, and New Zealand will want him continue his big-hitting ways for the rest of the series.

**Rohit Sharma (India):**The interim India captain has only played two T20Is in New Zealand. The first was in 2009, the second was on Wednesday. On both the occasions, he was dismissed for single-digit scores. India desperately need his batting to click at the top to increase their chances of reverse an unwanted record.

Conditions

It'll be a lot more comfortably that nippy Wellington, with the forecast suggesting temperatures of around 27° C. Eden Park is a high-scoring venue and has a lot to offer the batsmen. So far, scores in excess of 200 have been scored five times, and it is at this venue where New Zealand registered their highest total in T20Is – 243/6 against Australia almost exactly a year ago. Expect runs on Friday.

Squad

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (Games 1 & 2), Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner (Game 3)

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, K Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya