New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first in Rajkot, giving India the opportunity to set a target on a batting-friendly pitch. India made one change, with Washington Sundar ruled out and Nitish Kumar Reddy replacing him. New Zealand also made one change, with Jaden Lennox making his ODI debut.
What are 2 reasons behind Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inclusion in IND vs NZ 2nd ODI playing XI?
The pitch at the Niranjan Shah Stadium is quite flat, making it a batting paradise. Even if you’re out of form, this is a pitch where you can still score runs. The average first innings score here is 332, which is quite high. These statistics show how excellent this pitch is for batting, and it will only get better with time.
Here is the reasons:
- More depth in batting with extra hitting power
- Can be used as a pacer for few overs
In the first match, India chased down a target of 301, thanks to Virat Kohli’s explosive 93 and Shubman Gill’s half-century, but Kyle Jamieson’s 4/41 led to a collapse. New Zealand had posted a decent total thanks to Daryl Mitchell’s 84 and a 117-run opening partnership between Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls, but dropped catches cost them their chances.
The hosts boast a strong batting lineup with in-form batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer, along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. After a poor showing in the previous match, the spinners will look to find better grip on the Rajkot pitch, while fast bowlers like Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh offer variety. In case you haven’t noticed, Ayush Badoni has replaced Washington Sundar in the squad.
Playing XIs:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zaccharine Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
