Super Sixes SRL | Preview: India vs New Zealand

05/01/2020

We’re down to the final few games of the round-robin stage of Super Sixes SRL, and kick-starting proceedings on Friday will be India and New Zealand. While the Indians will be looking to make it 4 wins in 5 games, the Kiwis, on the other hand, will be aiming to end their 5-match losing streak.

Form Guide

India - W-W-L-W-W

You don’t bounce back from four consecutive defeats unless you’re a champion side and India, over the course of time, have proved just that. The Men in Blue have been unstoppable of late, winning four of their last five encounters, and their thumping 35-run win over arch-rivals Pakistan on Thursday was just a testament to the confidence and the momentum that the side is currently boasting of. Having already beaten the Kiwis in their previous H2H encounter last week, they would undoubtedly head into this contest as firm favourites.

New Zealand - L-L-L-L-L

We have to go all the way back to April 25 for New Zealand’s last victory in this SRL and over the course of the past 5 days, the Kiwis have been beaten by EVERY SINGLE SIDE in the competition. That gives us a crystal clear picture of how much the Kiwis have struggled in this tournament. In fact, at times, they’ve played like a 9-5 worker in the last week of his notice period. Turning things around against a rampant Indian side will be a huge ask and the Kiwis will be looking for some inspiration from the power-hitters in their line-up.

Key Batsmen

Shreyas Iyer

While all the talk in this SRL has been about KL Rahul - who has, undoubtedly, been prolific - the silent killer who has ignited the spark within this Indian side has been Shreyas Iyer. The right-hander, in the last three games, has combinedly scored 113 runs at an impressive strike rate of 179 and has given the side the push they’ve needed down the order. On Thursday, against Pakistan, he was in immaculate touch, scoring an unbeaten 28-ball 53 and today, versus the Kiwis, the Delhi Capitals skipper would undoubtedly once again hold the key for the Indians.

Colin Munro

Colin Munro has been one of the rare few bright spots in New Zealand’s dismal campaign thus far and that he’s scored 2 fifties in the last 4 games speaks for his ability to carry the team. While he did not quite set the stage on fire against the Proteas on Thursday, he, however, almost single-handedly dragged the side over the line against England a couple of days back - with an impeccable 88 - and that would give the side some confidence. Having notched up a fifty against the Indians in the last H2H clash, the Kiwis would be banking on the opener to once again get them off to a rollicking start.

Key Bowlers

Shardul Thakur

Having been overshadowed by the omnipotent presence of both Bumrah and Saini, Shardul Thakur’s match-winning performances with the ball have remarkably gone completely under the radar. With 7 wickets to his name in the last 3 games - including three-wicket hauls against both Australia and South Africa - the Mumbaikar enters this contest in red-hot form and would be looking to further add to his tally and help his side inflict a sixth straight defeat to the Kiwis. Interestingly, despite going at 9 runs per over in the side’s last H2H clash, Thakur was the most economical pacer in the whole match.

Lockie Ferguson

While the right-arm tearaway has not been anywhere as prolific as he would have liked to have been - having taken just two wickets in the last four games - he has, however, set the tone up top with some tight bowling and the Kiwis would be banking on him to keep KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma quiet in the powerplay. He was, interestingly, the second-most economical pacer behind Shardul in the last H2H encounter and coming on the back of a spell of 3-0-16-1 against South Africa on Thursday, one assumes that he would be quietly confident of doing his job to perfection versus the Indians today.

When to watch: May 1, 2019, 3.00 PM

Where to watch: SportsCafe and Sportsbet.io

Can India inflict further pain on the Kiwis and make it six defeats in a row for the Black Caps? To get all the live updates, follow SportsCafe. Meanwhile, Sportsbet.io will provide live odds on the game to bet on.

Predicted XIs

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tim Seifert (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

Live and Pre-game Odds for India vs New Zealand can be found here

Live and Pre-game Odds for Pakistan vs England can be found here

Live and Pre-game Odds for Australia vs South Africa can be found here