New Zealand look to recoup form in second ODI

Overview

New Zealand v India
2nd ODI
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Saturday, January 26, 3.00pm local time, 2.00am GMT

New Zealand will be looking to improve on their performance with both bat and ball in Mount Maunganui. The hosts were bundled out for a meagre 157 in the first ODI and could claim just two Indian wickets in the chase.

Kane Williamson, the skipper, was their only bright spot with the bat: he top-scored with an 81-ball 64. The 28-year-old is likely to be central to their batting effort once again.

Ross Taylor, who had six 50-plus scores in ODIs before this tour, found his run broken. Considering the rich vein of form he is in, he will still go into the second ODI as New Zealand's most important batsman.

None of their bowlers made a real impact and struggled to silence India's batting juggernaut. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav shared six wickets between them in Napier, something that might tempt Williamson to bring in Ish Sodhi in place of – or alongside – Mitchell Santner at Bay Oval. The experienced duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee will also be expected to bring their A game to the fore.

India, on the other hand, will be happy with the boxes they ticked. Their pace bowlers, particularly Mohammed Shami, wreaked havoc with the new ball, their spinners held their own in alien conditions, and their batsmen chased a small total with clinical proficiency.

The only headache Virat Kohli might have ahead of the second game will be the Indian playing XI – does he continue playing with two spinners or rope in another pacer? Should MS Dhoni be promoted to No.4? Should all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who joined the team after his suspension was lifted, slot right back in?

Despite these many questions, the India skipper will be delighted with where his side stands at the moment. They have most of their batting slots finalised ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019 and boast of a menacing bowling attack, which is firing despite Jasprit Bumrah rested for the tour.

Key players

**Kane Williamson (New Zealand):**Williamson, No.11 on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Batting Rankings, was the only Black Caps batsman who notched a significant score in the first ODI. In his last nine international innings, the right-hander has recorded a 50-plus score six times, which also includes a century against Pakistan.

**Kuldeep Yadav (India):**Yadav has been India's go-to bowler midway through the innings in limited-overs cricket. He has not only claimed wickets on a consistent basis, but has also conceded less than five runs per over while doing it. The left-arm wrist-spin bowler claimed a four-wicket haul in the first game in Napier.

Conditions

The forecast is for partly cloudy skies in Mount Maunganui at the time of the toss, which might help pacers swing the new ball. New Zealand last played an ODI on this wicket in the first week of January, when they slammed 319. It was a run-fest, with both teams making a total of 617 runs.

Squads

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya