T20 World Cup 2021: India's predicted playing XI against New Zealand

Only one match into their Super 12 stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup, India's campaign is already on the line. The Men in Blue take on New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, October 31, and anything but a win would greatly affect their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Virat Kohli, in his final assignment as India's T20I captain, will be keen to prevent the same against an opposition that has had the better of his team in the recent past. The 2019 World Cup semi-final and the 2020/21 World Test Championship final are still fresh in memory, and Kohli's counterpart Kane Williamson has outshone him on both occasions.

Irrespective of the personal India-New Zealand rivalry, a spot in the semi-final stage hanging in the balance is the paramount fact. Kohli's men need to be at the top of their game against the Blackcaps, even if that means they have to make a change or two to the playing XI that lost to Pakistan by a whopping 10-wicket margin.

Here is India's predicted playing XI for their T20 World Cup game against New Zealand.

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T20 World Cup 2021: India's predicted playing XI against New Zealand

India v Pakistan - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma were dismissed cheaply by Shaheen Shah Afridi in India's previous game, but they are a fearsome opening pair who can be trusted to come good. Queried about Ishan Kishan's potential inclusion at the expense of Rohit, Kohli laughed away the possibility of the same to firmly place his faith in his vice-captain.

Suryakumar Yadav played a few bright shots before nicking off, adding another chapter to his book of unconverted starts. While Kishan is a candidate to replace him in the middle order, especially since New Zealand have Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner as their two spinners, Suryakumar should be handed a longer rope. The stylish right-hander is an outrageous player of spin and will be more at home on UAE wickets.

Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who played promising knocks against Pakistan, will occupy their rightful places in the middle order. Hardik Pandya bowled in the nets for around 20 minutes and underwent a conditioning session shortly after, sparking hope that he may finally overcome his injury woes to roll his arm over against New Zealand. So despite his poor batting form, Hardik should retain his place in the XI.

Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja weren't threatening against Pakistan, but they are two of India's most potent T20 weapons right now. With New Zealand having only two left-handers in their top seven, Jadeja might even turn out to be a wicket-taking option. This should keep Rahul Chahar and Ravichandran Ashwin on the sidelines for at least another game.

Mohammed Shami was on the receiving end of an ugly torrent of abuse following his expensive spell against Pakistan, but he is one of India's lead bowlers and one of their most consistent performers across formats in recent years. He will continue to partner Jasprit Bumrah in the pace attack.

The only realistic change India could consider making is replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been completely lacking fire in the past few months. Barely touching the 130 kph mark and generating next to no swing, Bhuvneshwar has been a liability both in the powerplay and at the death. He could be removed for Shardul Thakur, who not only adds a wicket-taking option in the middle overs but could also be used as a pinch hitter.

India's predicted playing XI against New Zealand: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy