India vs New Zealand, 13th Match, Super 10 Group 2
START TIME
2:00 PM GMT
7:30 PM LOCAL
“Time to showcase our skills”
On fast bowler Mohammad Shami’s comeback, Kohli reminded that the team was glad about it.
India’s star batsman Virat Kohli says that his team
will not try to do anything differently in this T20 World Cup from what
it has been doing in the recent past.
“We are
confident, having won 10 of the last 11 games we’ve played, and want to
take the momentum into this World Cup. Keen to start on a positive note
and take it match by match. We look at the recent Asia Cup as very good
preparations,” Kohli informed media ahead of the opener against New
Zealand here on Tuesday.
“But again, this World Cup
is far more challenging, competitive given the fact that there are many
strong teams unlike in a bilateral series,” Kohli commented.
“Every
match is going to be big. We would love to focus on our strength rather
than worry about what the opposition is about. That doesn’t matter to
us at all. Lot of calmness is required. You can’t get carried away by
any distractions. There is a need to strike a good balance between
everything at this level,” the star cricketer commented.
“Now is the time to soak all the different feelings and experiences and
it is time to showcase our skills. It is equally important how well you
manage off the field. I feel on the field it is the safest place with
least pressure and where you can express yourself,” he said with a big
smile.
Shami’s comeback
On fast bowler Mohammad
Shami’s comeback, Kohli reminded that the team was glad about it. “He
has been taking wickets early in the innings and though his comeback
doesn’t necessarily mean the need to change the combination which again
is the prerogative of the captain and the team management,” he pointed
out.
On the middle-order not getting enough chances
in the recent past, Kohli said what was more important was the kind of
impact a player has had. “For instance, if someone plays a cameo at the
end it will be equally important like an 80 at the top. So, we respect
each other and don’t neglect anyone. The focus is not just on two or
three players. The team bonding is the key. The feeling has to be there
to contribute to the team’s win,” he explained. “This kind of mind set
helps the player to stay in the zone,” he added.
Referring
to the big three at the top — Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and himself,
Kohli said that as Shikhar himself has said recently that his role was
to play a natural game in the first six overs, he and Rohit would assess
the game ball-by-ball.
“It is important not to have a
rush of blood. The key is to keep the momentum going. One you lose
focus, it is difficult to come back into the game in this format,” he
said.
On the anxiety factor amongst the younger
players ahead of their maiden T20 World Cup, Kohli said he personally
looked up at that as a challenge and a huge opportunity rather than feel
any pressure.
“Playing in a World Cup cannot be a
goal once you are there. Numbers don’t matter. You should have the
craving to win the match for the team,” Kolhi felt.
“But,
I must say that players like Pandya (Hardik) and Bumrah (Jasprit) have
played enough T20 cricket in IPL and also under pressure. In fact, they
played more of this than when I played for India in the 2011 World Cup
(50 overs). So, they are mentally more tougher and confident than I was
then,” Kolhi remarked. “These players back their skills and I think that
is the x-factor,” he said.
India arrives on the crest of a wave
The Williamson-led New Zealand would be determined to play an aggressive brand of cricket.
The time is upon a charged-up India to look for another World Cup glory in the presence of its fans.
The Orange City may be lacking the pre-match hype that surrounds the
India-Pakistan skirmish that is to take place at Eden Gardens on March
19, but neither the host nor New Zealand can afford to discount the
intensity factor because making a winning start and keeping the momentum
is so crucial to go the distance in the ICC World Twenty20.
While India would be hoping to put it across New Zealand, the Kane
Williamson-led side would be determined to play an aggressive brand of
cricket that former captain Brendon McCullum espoused to follow.
As for the form-guide, M.S. Dhoni’s team starts as the favourite. It has
been in the thick of action and it has given sufficient hints that it
has more or less come to grips with the shortest version of the game.
Apart from the embarrassing defeat caused by a rookie Sri Lankan fast
bowler Kasun Rajitha in Pune last month, the former champion has
registered impressive wins and won the Asian Cup in Bangladesh.
In short, the revamped side has given itself a thorough work-out
starting from the three-match series in Australia which Dhoni’s team won
comfortably.
Before picking the potential 15 for the World Cup campaign, the team
management and the National selection committee concurred on a few
aspects of the game in order to bring freshness to the team.
They brought the unpredictability factor to the scheme of things and
chose Gujarat fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and utility man Baroda’s Hardik
Pandya for the three-match series in Australia.
They also recalled left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra, who has shown the
penchant to get into the Twenty20 mood. Nehra and Bumrah have worked
wonders accounting for 28 wickets together. Their success has also
resulted in off-spinner R. Ashwin to come into his own. He has taken 17
wickets at 12.35 apiece from the series against Australia and Pandya, 10
wickets at 21.70 apiece.
In-form bowlers
Quite clearly the 77 wickets (in the last 11 matches) India has captured from the three-match series in Australia have made Dhoni remain upbeat about his bowling department.
Quite clearly the 77 wickets (in the last 11 matches) India has captured from the three-match series in Australia have made Dhoni remain upbeat about his bowling department.
After the two warm-up games against the West Indies and South Africa,
the Indian captain knows that a healthy Mohammed Shami (two for 30
against the West Indies, two for 37 against England) can be relied upon
to deliver the goods.
Nehra (204 balls/259 runs), Bumrah (237/243), Ashwin (222/210), Ravindra
Jadeja (210/227), Pandya (183/217) have led the attack in the last
two-and-a-half months and they will be up against a clutch of aggressive
New Zealand batsmen.
India’s batting has demonstrated the skills to deal with a variety of
opposition and as team director Ravi Shastri said, there is a good
balance between youth and experience.
India’s fielding is considered top class and Dhoni would expect all
departments to function like a well-oiled machine to draw first blood
against New Zealand.
It has not rained here since Saturday night.
The teams (from):
India: M.S. Dhoni (captain, wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan,
Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja,
R. Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah, Ajinkya Rahane, Harbhajan
Singh, Pawan Negi, Mohammed Shami.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Corey
Anderson, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Henry Nicholls, Luke
Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Nathan McCullum, Mitchell McClenaghan,
Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne.
Head to Head
Played 4: New Zealand has won all 4
2007: ICC World Twenty20: NZ beat India by10 runs
2009: NZ beat India by 7 wkts at Christchurch
2009: NZ beat India by 5 wkts at Wellington
2012: NZ beat India by 1 run at MAC Stadium, Chennai
India came close to notch its first win against New Zealand, but Brendon
McCullum spoiled it all by making a 55-ball 91 (11 x 4s and 3 x 6s) and
by putting on two vital partnerships with Kane Williamson and Ross
Taylor. India made a brave attempt through Virat Kohli (70), Suresh
Raina (27), Yuvraj Singh (34) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22 not out), but
eventually it fell short of the target by two runs.
Weather: Partly cloudy, no rain forecast
Pitch: Associations to follow ICC guidelines of preparing a sporting wicket.
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