India vs New Zealand 2019, 2nd ODI: Preview and Predicted Playing XI

After bamboozling the Kiwis in the series opener, Men in Blue will aim to strengthen their lead, when they visit Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui for the second ODI on Saturday, January 26.

Head to Head Overall: India have faced New Zealand in 97 completed One Day International fixtures, and have emerged victorious on 52 of those, while the Kiwis have managed to grab the honours on 45 occasions. Only one game has ended in a tie.

Head to Head in New Zealand: New Zealand have hosted India in 33 ODIs and they comprehensively lead 21-11. However, both teams have never faced each other at Bay Oval, which makes this game even more exciting.

Previous match: In their previous meeting on January 23, the visitors convincingly beat the Kiwis to win the game by eight wickets. Batting first, New Zealand batters fell apart against the Indian bowlers as they managed just 157 runs.

In reply, the visitors rode on Shikhar Dhawan unbeaten 75 to overhaul the total inside 35 overs.

India

Indians didn't give New Zealand any chance for a fightback.

The Indian camp seemed on a different level during the first game and didn't give hosts any chance for a fight back. They might be booming with confidence and will aim to nullify the alien effect in second ODI.

Batting

Shikhar Dhawan finally came into the fore during the first ODI, scoring an unbeaten 75 from 103 balls. Skipper Virat is almost always at his best and was the case in the opening fixture as well. Though he fell short of a well deserved 50, as he failed to pick climbing bouncer from Lockie Ferguson and feathered it straight to the keeper Latham.

Rohit Sharma failed to convert his start in the previous game and would want to get the team off to a good start. In the case of top-order failure, the team boasts a strong middle order in flamboyant MS Dhoni and charismatic Kedar Jadhav.

Bowling

The Kul-Cha pair have certainly made things tough for the Kiwis and shared six wickets between them in the first game. Both these players are expected to cause trouble to the New Zealand batsmen in next fixture too. On the other hand, pacers Mohammad Shami and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar made Kiwis work hard for their runs in their respective opening spells. With the Bay Oval pitch expected to assist seam, these two are likely to make a major impact with the ball.

Expected Playing XI

Virat Kohli (C), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (W), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.

New Zealand

New Zealand eye comeback in second ODI.

The Kiwis had an off day last time out, and one can expect them to take the game to the visitors in the second ODI. The Kiwis will aim to take advantage of visitors unfamiliarity with Bay Oval conditions.

Batting

Kane Williamson was the sole positive for Kiwis in the opening fixture and looked impressive in his knock of 64. Ross Taylor was another player to show some grit against the Indian bowling attack. Taylor scored 24 runs during his short stay at the crease. Once again, the onus will be on these two players to get score the bulk of the runs. Both their openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro failed to reach the double-figure mark on the last occasion, and it'll be essential that these two provide a good opening wicket stand in next game to lay the platform for the middle order.

Bowling

Lockie Ferguson and Doug Bracewell were the only wicket-takers in the series opener, picking one wicket each. The duo will be eager to pick a few more at Bay Oval. Apart from these two, their main threat will be Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi, who boasts a decent record at this ground and are leading wicket-takers at this ground with 12 and five wickets respectively. These two along with the experienced Tim Southee will be backed to make the early inroads into the Indian batting line-up.

Expected Playing XI

Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (W), Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult and Colin Munro.