New Zealand vs India, 2nd ODI: Key player battles
What's the story
India will fight for redemption in the second ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand on Sunday (November 27). The Kiwis won the opener by seven wickets and a victory in the second game would seal the deal for them. As the Men in Blue would stand in a do-or-die affair, they must unleash their A-game. Here we decode the key player battles.
#1
Shikhar Dhawan vs Tim Southee
Stand-in Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan played a solid 72-run knock in the opener. While the southpaw looked set to touch the three-figure mark, Tim Southee dented his plans. The Kiwi pacer dismissed Dhawan for the third time in eight ODI meetings. The 36-year-old opener, however, has a strike rate of 109.34 against Southee in ODIs. Both players would aim to dominate each other.
#2
Suryakumar Yadav vs Lockie Ferguson
India's first-innings total of 306/7 could have been more humongous had Lockie Ferguson not dismissed the in-form Suryakumar Yadav for four. Ferguson, who is one of the fastest bowlers going around, would look to keep SKY quiet once again. The Kiwi pacer has scalped 48 wickets in just 26 ODIs since 2019. Meanwhile, Suryakumar has been striking at 159.63 in international cricket this year.
#3
Kane Williamson vs Umran Malik
The opening game marked Umran Malik's debut in ODI cricket and the speed merchant claimed 2/66 in 10 overs. NZ skipper Kane Williamson, who was Umran's captain at Sunrisers Hyderabad, brilliantly tackled the young speedster. He scored 23 off 22 balls against the Jammu and Kashmir pacer, who was constantly clocking over 145 kmph. Notably, Williamson returned unbeaten on 94 off 98 deliveries.
#4
Tom Latham vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Tom Latham played arguably his best ODI knock in the opener, scoring an unbeaten 104-ball 145. He dominated Yuzvendra Chahal in the middle overs, scoring 29 off 25 balls against him. The leg-spinner returned with poor figures of 0/67 in 10 overs. However, Chahal will hope to settle the scores as Latham has fallen prey to leggies 11 times in 41 ODI innings.
Match details
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
Meanwhile, the Seddon Park in Hamilton will host the second ODI. Sides batting second have won 26 of the 46 ODIs here, with the average first-innings score being 239. Fast bowlers are expected to get substantial assistance with the new ball. The match will be telecast live on DD Sports (7:00 AM IST) and live-streamed on the Amazon Prime Video app (paid subscription).