Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan would look to make their presence felt in the second T20 international between India and New Zealand here on Friday to cement their place in the side.
In and out of the playing eleven for no fault of his own, Samson is now certain to get an extended run ahead of next month's T20 World Cup. Falling to a soft dismissal in the series opener, he would be eager to display his wide range of shots that have helped him score three hundreds in the shortest format.
Another batsman who needs to win the confidence of the team management is Kishan, a surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad who played ahead of Shreyas Iyer in Nagpur on Wednesday night. He looked good in his brief stay before being caught at cover. With batting till number eight, most Indians players bat in top gear. As it turns out, Kishan would be no different.
Much of the focus has been on captain Suryakumar Yadav's form ahead of the ICC big event. Even though he could not make a major contribution, his 32 off 22 balls would have done his confidence a world of good.
If India are to become the first team to defend the T20 World Cup title, they have to keep up their winning ways and consolidate their lead against New Zealand in the second T20. Abhishek Sharma must also continue to breathe fire at the top of the order, like he did on Wednesday night. The left-hander seems to be in the form of his life, someone who has a shown a rare ability to hit most balls out of the ground.
In the lower order, Rinku Singh’s fiery innings was another big positive for India. Even in the absence of Kuldeep Yadav, the bowling attack looks well-rounded. If Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya keep taking wickets in powerplay, Jasprit Bumrah can be used for three overs after the powerplay, giving the side an additional weapon in the middle overs.
Like in Nagpur, dew is expected in Raipur as well and no total would be safe, as South Africa showed last month when they chased down 359 rather comfortably against India in an ODI. New Zealand know they were not up to the mark on the bowling front and, being a side which learns and adapts quickly, the Black Caps would be backing themselves to level the series. They would be slightly worried about Devon Conway's recent mode of dismissals, caught in the slip cordon off away moving balls. "We were put under pressure with the ball throughout the innings.
The match will start at 7 pm.
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