Team India had a terrible start to their T20 World Cup campaign. Pakistan defeated India by ten wickets, and in the process, finally got a win against India in the World Cups. In this article, we take a look at the strongest possible India XI for the next match against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup.
India will be forced to make a few changes in the playing XI. A few players from both departments struggled to perform well, and against a strong New Zealand squad on Sunday, India will need their best players on the pitch. Hence, we could expect a few changes against the Kiwis.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will continue to be the openers in the India XI for the next match against New Zealand. Both the right-handers had a rare failure against Pakistan. Shaheen Afridi was in top form, and the openers could not have done a lot about the deliveries. That said, pressure will be immense on KL and Rohit to come good against the Kiwis. It is a must-win game, and the openers need to provide a good start in the powerplay.
Middle-Order: Virat Kohli (C), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant (WK)
Virat Kohli saved the Indian batting innings from ending up in an embarrassment against Pakistan. He scored a half-century and ensured that India could post a decent total. However, he will need more support from the middle-order. SKY will get another chance while Pant is sure to retain his place. With Hardik Pandya injured, and him unlikely to bowl, Team India could draft Ishan Kishan into the playing XI. Ishan can be used as an aggressor and going by his recent form, this move could be a helpful one.
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja is likely to be the only all-rounder in the India XI for the next match against New Zealand. Jaddu had a not-so-great outing against Pakistan. While he struggled to get going with the bat, he also failed to make an impact with the ball. His role will be crucial if India has to win the next game against the Kiwis.
Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun CV
Although Bhuvi’s stats do not read bad against Pakistan, he failed to have the impact that is expected out of a new-ball bowler. His form in recent months has anyways been underwhelming. Hence, Shardul Thakur could be preferred over him. Shardul’s knack for taking wickets and also the extra insurance he offers to the batting line-up will be useful in a crunch game. The rest of the bowling XI is likely to remain the same. That said, for Shami and Varun, another bad outing could see them lose their place in the XI.
