Preview: India v New Zealand – 2nd T20I
First Published : 10 Sep 2012, 17:47
Last Modified : 10 Sep 2012, 18:05
What
The second and final T20 international of the two-match series between India and New Zealand
When
September 11, 2012. The game begins at 7:00 pm, IST.
Where
The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Like the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag, Chepauk is yet to host a T20 international. However, the MA Chidambaram Stadium is a regular venue on the IPL circuit, featuring as the home ground for the Chennai Super Kings.
The Teams
After the washout at Vizag, Yuvraj Singh remains the centre of attention ahead of this game. Even though the swashbuckling left-hander has tried to deflect some of the spotlight by saying that there is no pressure on him, he remains the biggest draw for Indian fans eager to see him back after his successful fight with cancer.
The game in Chennai also serves as the last official, competitive game for both teams before the 2012 ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka, which starts on September 18. Although both teams play a couple of warm-up matches, with India taking on Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and New Zealand playing Australia and South Africa before the group stage, each team would like a win under their belt to boost their confidence as they make the trip to Sri Lanka.
The biggest deterrent before this game, then, is the weather. The forecast for the venue remains partly cloudy, although the Chennai locals are certain of hosting a full game on the evening.
Trivia:
If Yuvraj Singh plays on Tuesday, he will be playing his first international match after a gap of 299 days – his longest break in international cricket since his debut. In this period, Yuvraj missed nine Tests, 31 ODIs and six Twenty20 Internationals.
New Zealand are the only team that India have never beaten in Twenty20 Internationals, despite playing against them on three occasions in this format. The last scheduled game between the two sides, at Vizag, was called off due to inclement weather.
Venue Stats:
Average first innings score at MA Chidambaram Stadium in IPL matches: 165
Result summary at MA Chidambaram Stadium in IPL matches:
|
Matches |
Side batting 1st won |
Side batting 2nd won |
No result |
Tied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
19 |
13 |
0 |
1 |
Head-to-head:
|
Matches |
Played |
India won |
NZ won |
No result |
Tied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overall |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
In India |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Last meeting between both sides in a T20I match: February 27, 2009 at Wellington
Brief scores: New Zealand (150-5) beat India (149-6) by 5 wickets
Form guide (most recent listed first):
India: Won, Lost, Won, Lost, Lost (2 wins, 3 losses)
New Zealand: Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost, Won (1 win, 4 losses)
The Squads:
India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Gautam Gambhir, R Ashwin, L Balaji, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan, SK Raina, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh
New Zealand: Ross Taylor (c), Doug Bracewell, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson
All stats are as on September 10, 2012
