India will look to secure their first series win of the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid era when they take on New Zealand in the second T20I in Ranchi on Friday. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with a five-wicket win in the first match.
The win also ended India’s seven-match losing streak against the Blackcaps, captained by pacer Tim Southee in the absence of Kane Williamson.
For Rohit, before he gets the much-needed break of two-and-a-half weeks from the game, he wants to close the deal in Ranchi and go for the juggernaut when the team meets for the final game of the series in Kolkata.
In the absence of Virat Kohli, currently on leave, Suryakumar Yadav took full advantage of the opportunity with a match-winning 62 off 42 balls at No. Though there is absolutely no need to press the panic button, the sluggish batting of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant created a bit of a mess in the chase though it never got out of control.
Shreyas, playing for India after a long break, was in turmoil as he was finding it difficult to get the ball in the middle. Even when the big shots weren’t coming, he didn’t seem eager to cultivate the strike with a single and a two.
Shreyas scored 5 runs in 8 balls before Tim Southee was dismissed in the final over, but India’s healthy run-rate did not go through his hand. However the silver-lining was definitely Suryakumar, whose precise hit delighted the capacity crowd at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
The other big positive came from senior bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin, who were brilliant in hitting the right areas, while some inexperienced bowlers plundered runs at the other end.
With his concern about his form, the new management led by Rohit and Rahul brought veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar to life after he was dropped due to indifferent form in their defeat against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup.
By his standards, Bhuvneshwar was going through the toughest phase of his career and returned with just three wickets in six matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an average of 54 and an economy rate of 7.04.
But the 31-year-old delivered in style and took advantage of the swing on offer at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, before allowing Daryl Mitchell to return with a 2/24 with an AA perfect inswinger, second only to Ashwin’s 2/23. But India was also brilliant. Only 41 runs were given with death and three wickets, which did not give the visitors a good chance of 15-20 runs.
“At one point in time, it looked like over 180, so a great effort from a perfect bowling performance. A good game for us, especially when we’re missing some players, it’s my performance for other guys.” There was an opportunity to show potential,” Sharma said.
The lower middle order could also become a cause for concern for the captain as it remains to be seen whether he is tempted to change his batting order. With his players already committed to giving a long rope, it is unlikely that Rohit will upset the batting order after a game.
In the bowling though, there could be a forced change as Indian pacer Mohammad Siraj has suffered split left webbing after being hit by Mitchell Santner in the final over of New Zealand’s innings.
With dew becoming a factor for the evening, the toss could also play a vital role in an essential match for the touring Black Caps. If losing the toss under Tim Southee’s leadership was important to the visitors, the Kiwis would be a bright spot for the team after the return of Mark Chapman (63 from 50 balls) for seven months.
Southee will be looking to improve the bowling lineup which will be particularly keen on restricting the flow of runs in the powerplays.