DUBAI: After suffering a 10-wicket loss against Pakistan in their opening game of the ICC Men`s T20 World Cup, the Virat Kohli-led side find themselves in a must-win situation against New Zealand. India and New Zealand will lock horns against each other in the Super 12 stages of the World Cup on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Both sides will come into the contest after suffering a loss against Pakistan. When it comes to the Indian side, one needs to see how the opening duo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul will perform having been dismissed cheaply against Pakistan by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The left-arm seamers have always caused troubles for the Indian top-order and the presence of Trent Boult in the Kiwi attack is expected to cause further problems. When it comes to batting, only Virat Kohli was the bright spot against Pakistan and the Indian skipper has the knack of producing quality knocks under pressure, so once again, it would be Kohli who will be expected to rise to the occasion and change the tide in India`s favour.
Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant need to come into their own and the duo needs to bring in that X-factor which has helped their respective IPL franchises in the past.
The only question regarding the batting order remains whether Ishan Kishan can come into the eleven, but it looks unlikely that someone would be dropped just after one bad game against Pakistan. India has never defeated New Zealand in the T20 World Cup, but if there was any time for this record to be broken, it is now if the side wants to reach the semi-finals stage.
This is not the first time the two highly talented teams will compete in a fixture that will be topped up in pressure. Both teams will look to bounce back from their loss against Pakistan. This fixture carries a lot of weight in terms of qualification as both teams are favourites to qualify to the semi-finals from group2 with table toppers Pakistan.
What has happened when these two giants clashed in an ICC tournament in past?
The T20 World Cup head to head
India have won six, lost eight and tied two in 16 Twenty 20 Internationals played against New Zealand. They have won both tied matches against Kiwis in Super Over, at Hamilton, on January 29, 2020 and at Wellington, two days later. New Zealand have never lost to India in a T20 World Cup. After the 2003 World Cup, the Indian team has not been able to beat New Zealand in any ICC tournament so far.
Can you decode my coded msg to Virat Kohli in this #IndvNZ meme preview?
Full video link: https://t.co/cetskDITXf#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/VrTYrwSzlc
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) October 30, 2021
New Zealand holds the edge if we talk about numbers and wins over India, the sides collided in the 2007 and 2016 T20 World Cup and the Men in Blue have struggled against the Black Caps as both the matches were won by New Zealand. This gives India a chance to break the record in the 2021 T20 World Cup which they eye to bring home.
ODI World Cup head to head
MS Dhoni’s hope of winning his last World Cup in 2019 was thrashed by the Black Caps when they defeated India in the 2019 ODI World Cup. The sides clashed in the semi-final of the tournament where New Zealand gave India a total of 239 runs to chase but India fell apart in front of the Black Caps. It was also the last game that MS Dhoni played for India.
Test Championship 2021
New Zealand and India both had a chance of becoming first-ever World Test Champions. New Zealand won the toss and choose to bowl first. Virat Kohli’s side put up a total of 217. In reply, New Zealand managed to take a lead of 32 runs with Kane Williamson scoring a gritty half-century. In the second innings, India failed to make an impact as they were bowled out for 170 resulting in a comfortably chase for New Zealand of 140 on the final day.
Highest innings totals
India: 208/6 in 20 at Hamilton on 10-02-2019;
New Zealand: 219/6 in 20 overs at Wellington on 06-02-2019.
Lowest innings totals
India: 79 all out in 18.1 overs at Nagpur on 15-03-2016;
New Zealand: 126/7 in 20 overs at Nagpur on 15-03-2016.
Highest individual scores
India: 80 by Rohit Sharma at Delhi on 01-11- 2017;
80 by Shikhar Dhawan at Delhi on 01-11- 2017;
New Zealand: 109 not out by Colin Munro at Rajkot on 04-11-2017.
Best Bowling Figures
India: 3/12 by Jasprit Bumrah at Mount Maunganui on 02-02-2020;
New Zealand: 4/11 by Mitchell Santner at Nagpur on 15-03-2016.
