Before Wednesday, India had not won a single match against New Zealand in the shortest format. By Saturday night, they could win a series against the side that was ranked no. 1 in T20Is before the defeat at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

The men in blue are eyeing their third T20 International series win in five years as they face New Zealand in their second T20I encounter in Rajkot. The last game is scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on November 7.

The comprehensive 53-run victory in the series opener at Delhi has put India in front in the three-match series. The resounding victory, due to the explosive partnership of openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, made fast bowler Ashish Nehra’s farewell a memorable one.

India have produced impressive death bowling with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah leading the pace department, while the spinners also pitched in with some excellent bowling in the middle overs.

Considering the immense all-round strength that the hosts boast of, it’s going to be a Herculean task for the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand to prevent India from surging to a third T20I series victory in eight contests, going back to 2012-13, three of which were drawn encounters. And India’s batting line-up has to be tamed early if New Zealand wants to win the second match.

Advantage India

Dhawan and Sharma put on a record 158-run partnership that went into the 16th over to ensure that India ended up with a plus-200 total despite a brief wobble towards the end. The Black Caps’ new ball attack of Trent Boult and Tim Southee lacked discipline in Delhi. It’s a bit of a surprise that these two experienced Kiwi bowlers have been ineffective with yorkers at the death, unlike the Indian duo of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the defeat in Delhi for the Black Caps wast the catching. It’s not often a New Zealand team is outmatched in the fielding department but India were miles ahead at Kotla, with a stunning catch by Hardik Pandya in the outfield being the highlight. The Kiwis, on the other hand, couldn’t catch a cold if they wanted to. They put down chances from each of the top three Indian batsmen early in their innings and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that was the reason they lost the match as convincingly as they did.

Kohli has led the team from the front and is approaching the 2000-run landmark in T20Is. With the team heavily reliant on the top order, however, it remains to be seen if Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co can prop up the middle order and come to India’s rescue, should early wickets fall.

Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has continued to trouble the Black Caps’ batsmen, in particular captain Williamson and Ross Taylor. Only the left-handed Tom Latham, among the visiting team’s batsmen, has shown a consistently sound and effective approach against the spin bowlers.

All said and done, the New Zealanders were the no 1 ranked T20I side for a reason and they have shown on this tour that they can hold their own against India. In Rajkot, they would need to turn up with their A-Game to stand a chance.

Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, KL Rahul.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

(With PTI inputs)