ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: 4th Warm-up game, IND vs NZ: Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI Updates & Fantasy Cricket Tips - May 25th, 2019

With only a handful of days left for the ICC World Cup 2019 to commence, team India begin their World Cup preparations in a warm-up game against 2015 World Cup finalists New Zealand at the Kennington Oval in London. Coming on the back of a grueling IPL 2019, this will be India's first game together after a 3-2 series loss to the Australians at home, as they look to finalize a couple of spots within the playing XI. New Zealand, on the other hand, look a more settled unit with the experience of Ross Taylor and Tim Southee coming in handy alongside the likes of Trent Boult and Martin Guptill, who have great records in England to strengthen their case for a first ever World Cup triumph. Here are a few tips to help you pick your Dream11 team for this much-awaited warm-up game between India and New Zealand.

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Squads to choose from:

India:

Virat Kohli (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav

New Zealand:

Kane Williamson (C), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

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Team News:

India:

India come into this World Cup as one of the hot favorites alongside hosts England. In spite of the hype surrounding their team, they need to address a few problems in their playing XI such as the uncertainty over who would take up the number four mantle and the second pacer alongside Jasprit Bumrah. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been brilliant up front for India over the last two years but with Mohammed Shami's recent resurgence, India have the luxury of playing all three pacers although they would have to compromise one-half of the spin twins in order to do so. Expect KL Rahul and Vijay Shankar to have an extended stay in the middle as they fight it out amongst themselves to stake a claim in the middle order.

New Zealand:

The opening spot alongside Martin Guptill is one of a few dilemmas that New Zealand needs to address with Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls in the running for the aforementioned. Tim Southee hasn't been in the best forms for NZ with Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry overtaking the RCB pacer in the pecking order. With overcast conditions expected in England, Southee could have a huge say in New Zealand's World Cup campaign suggesting a major role for him in the warm-up game against India. Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme are two players who would be looking to make great use of the warm-up game considering their places in the playing XI are still uncertain

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Match Details:

India vs New Zealand, ICC World Cup 2019 Warm-up, Match 4

25th May 2019, 3:00 PM IST

Kennington Oval, London

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Pitch Report:

The Kia Oval has been traditionally helpful for the pacers with Jofra Archer running riot in a rain-curtailed match against Pakistan recently. As is the case with most grounds in England, the pitch should allow run-scoring as the batsmen look to fine-tune their skills in the build-up to the showpiece event next week.

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Fantasy Tips and Suggestions:

Wicket-keeper: Although MS Dhoni had a brilliant IPL, Tom Latham should be the preferred choice for this game with his ability to play pace and spin equally well. With the quality of India's new ball bowlers taken into account, Tom Latham should have a great match against the Indians.

Batsmen: Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Martin Guptill have brilliant records in the UK and should make good use of the warm-up game. KL Rahul is another player who has happy memories of playing in England and should score some runs as he stakes a claim for the vacant number four spot. One of Henry Nicholls or Ross Taylor should suffice as the final batting option.

Allrounders: Hardik Pandya and Mitchell Santner are two very good options in the allrounders department with their all-round abilities well documented and well known to one and all. The likes of Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme are also in the running for a place in the fantasy side with a place in the playing XI up for grabs.

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult should make good use of the overcast conditions and pick a few wickets up front with their incisive swing bowling. The likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Ish Sodhi are also great options in the middle overs with their ability to extract turn.

Captain: Shikhar Dhawan has a knack of scoring big in ICC events and should be backed to score some runs in this match while the likes of Martin Guptill and Hardik Pandya are also good candidates for captaincy.

Fantasy Suggestion #1: Tom Latham(WK), Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ross Taylor, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Captain: Shikhar Dhawan

Fantasy Suggestion #2: MS Dhoni(WK), Virat Kohli, Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Jimmy Neesham, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee. Captain: Martin Guptill