New Zealand vs India 2nd T20 Prediction

NZ Team News

Daryl Mitchell made his New Zealand T20i debut in the first match of the series, having been rewarded for his excellent form in the Super Smash. Martin Guptill will miss the series through injury, with Jimmy Neesham added to the squad in his place, but it was Tim Seifert who opened the batting with aplomb last time out. If New Zealand elect to make changes, however, Neesham and Doug Bracewell could come into the team for Colin de Grandhomme and Scott Kuggeleijn. Blair Tickner was the other unused player in the squad for the first game.

NZ Key Players

Tim Seifert failed to seize his opportunity in the limited-overs series with Sri Lanka last month but that behind him by smashing seven fours and six sixes in the first T20 of this series on his way to 84 from 43 balls.

Seifert shared an 86-run partnership with Colin Munro, who is also coming back into form after a barren spell, and has now hit 41, 54 and 34 in his last three T20 innings for Auckland and New Zealand.

Form has never been an issue for captain Kane Williamson, however – he hit ODI half-centuries in the series with Sri Lanka and India and scored 34 from 22 balls last time out. Ross Taylor continued his good form too, with a breezy 23 having been in superb form in international limited-overs cricket.

With the ball, Tim Southee led the way with 3-17 from his four overs, while Lockie Ferguson took 2-22 to add to the 3-21 he claimed against Sri Lanka. Ish Sodhi also claimed five wickets across the two games, while Mitchell Santner took three.

NZ Team Form

New Zealand have now own their last two T20 internationals, both on home soil, having been whitewashed by in-form Pakistan in their most recent series before that.

The win against India in the first game, when Tim Seifert smashed 84 and the bowlers limited India to 139 all out, followed victory against Sri Lanka in their most recent T20 match before that.

Against the Sri Lankan tourists, late order runs from Doug Bracewell (44) and Scott Kuggeleijn (35*) lifted New Zealand to 179/7, before Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi both claimed three wickets each to bowl the tourists out for 144.

They had previously pushed Pakistan close in two of their three matches in the UAE – finishing two runs short of Pakistan’s 148/6 despite 58 from Colin Munro and an unbeaten 42 from Ross Taylor, and then seeing Pakistan reach 154/4 with two balls remaining to win the second game. In the final game, however, New Zealand were all out for 119 in reply to 166/3.