Defending champions would like to break the New Zealand curse in the T20 World Cup when they meet in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. In their three matches so far in history of the tournament, India lost to the Kiwis on all three occasions. While India are aiming to be the most successful team in the T20 World Cup, New Zealand are yet to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.
If Ishan Kishan stole the limelight in the initial stages, Sanju Samson has created a buzz with knocks of 97 not out and 89 in the previous two encounters for India. Not to forget the impacts of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh with the ball. On the other hand, the Indians will be wary of the Finn Allen threat at the top of the order.
With just a day to go before the all-important final, livemint Took a look at the key player matchups.
Key player matchups for IND vs NZ final
Arshdeep Singh vs Finn Allen: Fresh from his record-breaking 33-ball hundred in the semifinal against South Africa, Finn Allen is the most feared batter going into the final. Primarily known as a strike bowler, Arshdeep Singh went wicketless in the first six overs in this tournament, it will be interesting to see how Allen reacts to the left-hander’s early swing. The Men in Blue will be banking on Arshdeep to break his powerplay duck to prevent New Zealand from getting off to a flying start.
Lockie Ferguson vs Abhishek Sharma: The final could be out-of-form Abhishek Sharma’s day. The Indian opener has struggled with form in this tournament and still remains the no.1 batter in the format despite scoring three consecutive ducks. One of the major problems for Abhishek is his impatience at the crease. With Lockie Ferguson’s raw and skiddy pace on the Ahmedabad pitch, it will be interesting to see how the Indian tackles.
Mitchell Santner vs Sanju Samson/Suryakumar Yadav: During the pre-match presser, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has been vocal about “silencing the Indian crowd” in Ahmedabad. With Sanju Samson in red-hot form and Suryakumar Yadav playing those impactful short knocks, can Santner weave a magic in the middle overs against India.
India left-handers vs Rachin Ravindra: The New Zealand left-arm spinner has caused a lot of problems to the opposition in the middle overs. The Indian management could deploy the likes of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube to disrupt Ravindra’s rhythm. So far, Ravindra has taken 11 wickets.
Glenn Phillips vs Jasprit Bumrah: In this T20 World Cup, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has used Jasprit Bumrah tactically, bringing him late in the powerplay and even after the first six overs on some occasions. With Glenn Phillips designated as a finisher, it will be interesting to see how he handles Bumrah in the death overs.
India vs New Zealand predicted playing XIs
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy,
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
