Deadline: January 24, 2020 at 12:20 PM IST
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Pitch report
The previous T20I at the Eden Park ended in a tie, and as was the case in the World Cup final, England emerged triumphant. The pitch, however, is a good hunting ground for the batsmen. The average first and second innings scores read 168 and 149 respectively. The highest total chased at the venue is 245 for 5 in 18.5 overs by Australia against New Zealand. Power up your fantasy team with hard-hitting batsmen.
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ images to get the data while making your fantasy team.
Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul
Batsmen: Colin Munro, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma (c), Martin Guptill (vc), Kane Williamson
All-rounders: Colin de Grandhomme, Ravindra Jadeja
Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Tim Southee, Jasprit Bumrah
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Power players
Martin Guptill‘s numbers are outstanding at the Eden Park. In 12 T20Is he has smashed 508 runs with a mind-boggling strike rate of 171, including four fifties and a hundred. However, he has managed only 108 runs in 7 matches against India, with a highest score of 45.
His opening partner Colin Munro follows him with 336 runs with even better strike rate of 207. He also has a hundred against India.
The top two run-scorers in the format — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma — will be in the thick of things. This will be the first time Kohli will play a T20I in New Zealand. He, however, has scored hundreds in ODIs and Tests here. On the other hand, the fast and bouncy pitches suit Rohit’s style of play. The match will be half won if New Zealand manage to dismiss the Indian captain and his deputy early in their innings.
Value picks
The economy of the top five wicket-takers at the venue reads above 8. Tim Southee is at the top of the chart, with 12 wickets in 11 matches — 5 of which came in a T20I against Pakistan.
KL Rahul‘s last six T20I scores read 52, 62, 11, 91, 45, and 54. Need we say more?
Tim Seifert was the highest run-scorer during India’s tour of New Zealand last year. His 84 off 43 at Wellington helped New Zealand post a massive target of 220.
Match prediction
India’s win-loss ratio reads 0.375 — the worst against any team. They have won only thrice in 11 matches. However, there’s a plot twist: New Zealand have won only 6 of 19 T20Is at the Eden Park.
Probable XIs
New Zealand: Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett, Black Tickner
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini/Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Also, get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket.