Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket PlayersT20 World Cup, India vs New Zealand: India likely to pick Shardul for off-colour Bhuvneshwar
Virat Kohli’s team must beat New Zealand to ensure the hosts of the T20 World Cup keep on course for a semi-final spot from Group 2
All the talk of advantage for India by staging IPL in the UAE in the build-up to the T20 World Cup is in the past. Pakistan delivered a sucker punch last Sunday. With the loss against their arch-rivals that has triggered a wave of reactions, India find themselves in a must-win encounter in their very second league game as they face New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
It wasn’t meant to be this way. India are the hosts and on paper have a favourable draw. ICC has announced that if India make it to the semi-finals, they will play in Dubai. This makes them the only team in the competition with a clear mandate to play four of their five league games and the two knockout matches—if they make it—at one venue. Dubai has offered more spin so far, and batting second has been easier in dew-affected matches. These are pointers to help them prepare better. Being crowd-pullers and the pulse of the competition, they play all their matches in the evening, on TV prime time.
But for India's best-laid plans to come to fruition, they need to beat New Zealand first. Unlike in Group 1 where every team is beating the other, or stretching their opponents, chances of an upset in Group 2 comprising two Associates are remote, though Afghanistan may have other ideas.
TRICKY NZ
In major tournaments, on-field temperatures are often dictated by competing teams on the park. India would have felt the tension and nervous energy against Pakistan. New Zealand will be in stark contrast as everyone’s friendly opponents. India though know that while the Kiwis play their cricket fair, they are hard to beat. It’s Kane Williamson’s side that signalled an end to MS Dhoni’s international career, catching him with his foot inches short of the crease while defeating India in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals. More recently, Virat Kohli’s side lost the World Test Championship title to them.
Both teams are coming off long breaks between games. India’s downtime has been a week in which they chose to train only twice, including their pre-match practice session on Saturday evening. The Indians took to beach volleyball while the New Zealanders brought out their guitars.
New Zealand’s first outing, a five-wicket loss to Pakistan, was at Sharjah though many of their players featured in IPL and were regulars. “The conditions have changed drastically across the many weeks we have been here,” said speedster Trent Boult. “But we have a lot of experience and we believe we have the skills to beat India.”
The left-armer’s angle can test the openers and Boult is likely to get the new ball. He would have high hopes of troubling his Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. Usually measured in his views, Boult didn’t want to let go the chance to remind the India openers of the first-over damage Shaheen Shah Afridi caused.
“From what Shaheen bowled the other night, from a left-armer, watching on was amazing,” he said. “They are quality batters and early wickets are definitely the focus. Hopefully it swings around a little bit and I can mirror what Shaheen did the other night.”
Kohli responded in the pre-match media conference. “If Trent says he wants to replicate what Shaheen did against us, obviously he’s motivated to do so and we have to be motivated to counter that and try to put pressure on him and the other bowlers as well.”
India though are familiar with the New Zealand bowling attack. Tim Southee and Adam Milne too played in the last IPL while left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was in the CSK dugout though he didn’t play.
India must juggle their resources to pick a winning eleven. They are unlikely to tinker with their batting, but one change could be Shardul Thakur coming in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Thakur has a knack of picking up wickets and is high on confidence after the England tour and the 21 wickets he took in IPL.
Dew in the evening games at Dubai has been unpredictable, but if it does chase India and they have to defend again, Thakur has the ability to bowl seam-ups as well as cutters.
“He’s (Thakur) definitely a guy who’s in our plans, constantly making a case for himself. And he’s definitely someone that can bring a lot of value to the team,” Kohli said.
The other option India have is to bring in a third spinner, but any attacking move they make involves risk in the absence of a sixth bowling back-up.
Kohli appeared resigned to the limitations of his squad. He suggested none of his available sixth bowling option—Hardik Pandya with his fragile back and even himself—can be trusted to bowl in a pressure situation. Bringing in Thakur for Pandya would mean going a batter short. Unless the wicket is a belter, such a move could backfire too.
What India will require is their bowling powerplay overs to have a telling effect on the game. Just how Pakistan managed against them, and have in the next two games. That’s one of the reasons why they appear the team to beat.
