Deadline: February 8, 2020 at 7:30 AM IST
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Pitch report
The pitch won’t be different than the ones we have witnessed thus far. The highest total chased at the venue is 340 for 5 by New Zealand against Australia.
Down memory lane
The Eden Park has a reputation of producing thrillers. New Zealand and India were involved in one of them in 2014 that the visiting team eventually managed to draw.
India were 297 for 9 in 49 overs, needing 18 off the final over. One more wicket and New Zealand would have sealed the deal. However, at the crease was Ravindra Jadeja batting on 51 off 39. He smashed 2 fours and a six to bring down the equation to 2 off 1. As fate would have it, he managed a mere run and tied the score. Going by the rate at which New Zealand have been conceding tied matches, you never know what comes your way this Saturday.
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.
Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul (c), Tom Latham
Batsmen: Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Ross Taylor (vc), Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls
All-rounders: James Neesham, Ravindra Jadeja
Bowlers: Tim Southee
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Power players
Ross Taylor‘s last 5 scores against India read: 93, 37*, 1, 74, and 109*. His hundred at Hamilton has scaled up the average to 46.4 in 33 matches against the Men in Blue. At the venue, he has scored 416 runs, including a fifty and a hundred.
KL Rahul‘s lowest score this tour is 27. He hasn’t failed otherwise. In fact he hasn’t got anything wrong in 2020 thus far, even eclipsing his captain Virat Kohli with the bat. Be it at the top or at No. 5, he seems invincible.
Top picks
Martin Guptill averages the best at Hamilton. He has blasted 739 runs at 61.5, including 2 hundreds and 5 fifties. However, his average against India drops down to 26. India have dismissed him four times in thirties on this tour.
Virat Kohli‘s form hasn’t dropped by any means. He has set the standards so high that even a half-century seems like a failure. A big hundred is due. It can come any time, and with India 0-1 down already, it might as well come this Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer‘s hundred at Hamilton was just the start. Before that, he had scored 6 half-centuries in 13 innings. He bats at a position where he gets ample time to make an impact — the most significant factor in fantasy cricket.
Match prediction
India were one down against Bangladesh, West Indies and Australia, and yet managed to win the three-match series. After a 0-5 win in the T20I series, one loss wouldn’t dent their confidence. If anything, Virat Kohli thrives under pressure.
Probable XI
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (c & wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Hamish Bennett
India: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
Also, get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket.