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One year, eleven months and eight days after an anti-climatic end to their World T20 campaign, Team India start anew. This time at home and with an undefeatable aura around themselves. It is the sixth, and perhaps the last time MS Dhoni will be leading India in a T20 World Cup and along with the senior pros on his side, would want to seek redemption for the loss in the finals of 2014. The team has done nothing wrong though in the lead up to this redemption road – winning ten out of eleven T20 internationals played in 2016.Also read: India Vs New Zealand-LIVE Streaming Info, Cricket Scores, Ball by Ball Commentary, Scorecard Updates and moreAt the other end of the spectrum is a New Zealand side that just bid adieu to one of its greatest players, and it’s most successful T20 player. In the absence of Brendon McCullum’s firepower at the top and tactical nous, will they be able to at least achieve a Top 4 berth like they once did in 2007? Or will they fizzle out like they did in all other editions?Here are five things to look forward to from the encounter at Nagpur.
#1 Captain Williamson
Kane Williamson will need to lead by example
Brendon McCullum last played a T20I in June 2015, and ever since, Kane Williamson has done a reasonably good job in filling in for his skipper, winning six out of the eight T20Is that he’s captained the side in.
However, the World T20 2016 is Williamson’s first full-time stint as captain of New Zealand and the whole world will be watching him. Arguably one of the best batsmen of the current generation, Williamson will not just lead on the field, but will also have to show the way with the bat. With this dual pressure on him, it will be interesting to see how he delivers at a world event where New Zealand hasn’t achieved its best yet.
While one could count on McCullum to do some of the most innovative things on a cricket fielding like having attacking field positions in a one-day game or placing a fly-slip to get a batsman out, only time will tell if Williamson can emulate the attacking instincts that his predecessor often showed.
#2 Can India break the win-less run?
India has failed to beat New Zealand in four T20I
New Zealand have been India’s single biggest nemesis in T20 internationals. Between 2007 and now, the only top ranked team that India has not won a single (out of four) T20I against is New Zealand.
The win-less run started with India’s only defeat of the 2007 World T20 at Johannesburg, where the Kiwis posted 190 on the board after a strong batting show. The Indians raced to 76/0 in the first six overs, but were pegged back regularly by the New Zealand bowlers. India eventually lost the game by 10 runs.
New Zealand also beat India in another nail biter at Chennai in 2012, where the Kiwis managed to beat the hosts by a single run. Now with the attention shifting to Nagpur, and with India starting as clear favorites – it’s a great time to see the fortunes change.
#3 Dhoni\'s love affair with Nagpur
MS Dhoni has scored over 600 international runs at the VCA
Indian captain MS Dhoni heads to Nagpur where he first donned the whites as full-time captain of the Indian team across formats in 2008. The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur has indeed been special for the skipper for more than one reason.
Dhoni with the bat has been phenomenal at Nagpur, having scored over 600 international runs at an average of nearly 70. These runs have come in the form of two one-day centuries against Australia and Sri Lanka, and two nearly-hundreds in Tests against England (99) and New Zealand (98).
No other cricketer barring Dhoni has enjoyed this kind of a success at Jamtha, and India will be hoping for a big knock from him, come Tuesday.
#4 The Pitch
The VCA pitch is expected to be batting friendly
The last time an international game was hosted at Nagpur, the state association got an adverse report due to a minefield of a pitch that it had doled out for the visiting South African team.
With this being a different format, and with the game being directly under the eyes of the ICC, expect a batting friendly wicket this time around. The curator of the VCA has in fact suggested to reporters that an advisory has been handed out by the ICC to roll out a pitch favorable to high scoring contests.
Considering that the stadium has one of the best outfields in the country, one can look forward to a lot of boundaries and sixes in the India – New Zealand clash.
#5 Mohammed Shami\'s comeback
Mohammed Shami is expected to make his long-awaited comeback
Mohammed Shami had to endure a painful rehab after his knee injury to get back into the Indian team and on the flight to Australia. However, a practice game later, he pulled his hamstring and reinjured himself.
After multiple attempts, Shami made a successful comeback into international cricket by bowling to the West Indies and South African teams during the World T20 warm-ups, and quite decently at that.
Now that he is available for selection, it will be interesting to see if MS Dhoni drafts him right back in, breaking the successful opening fast-bowling duo of Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah.
If Shami is to make a comeback on Tuesday, it will more likely be in the place of Nehra as Dhoni has made his liking for Bumrah’s death bowling skills quite well known.
