Guwahati, Jan 25 (.) India rang in the experience of Jasprit Bumrah and the guile of Ravi Bishnoi after winning the toss and opting to field against New Zealand in the T20 international at Barsapara Cricket Stadium here on Sunday, banking on favourable conditions and the prospect of dew later in the evening.
With the surface expected to stay true, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said chasing would be the preferred option, while underlining the importance of disciplined execution with the ball early on. “The wicket looks good and there will be a little bit of dew later, so we’d like to bowl first. Let’s repeat the good habits, enjoy ourselves, be fearless and take your own calls in the middle. At the same time, it’s important to stay humble,” he said.
India’s decision to bring back Bumrah adds teeth and control to the new-ball attack, while Bishnoi’s inclusion strengthens the spin department alongside Kuldeep Yadav, especially in the middle overs. The duo replace Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy, who have been rested for the contest.
Suryakumar also highlighted the growing depth in India’s bowling resources, pointing to the all-round contributions of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, and Abhishek Sharma’s ability to provide useful overs when required. “It’s always a big boost when players like Hardik and Shivam can give you overs. Hardik has done it for India for a long time and Shivam is doing it recently,” he said.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said the pitch was expected to play well again and stressed the need to adapt quickly in a fast-moving series. “We thought we batted quite well last time and then came up against a very strong Indian batting line-up. You have to move on pretty quickly with games coming thick and fast in different cities,” Santner said.
Santner confirmed a change to the home side, with Kyle Jamieson replacing Foulkes after James Neesham was ruled out due to injury.
Teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
. . CDS