Attention will be on Sanju Samson when India face New Zealand in the second T20I of the five-match series in Raipur on Friday, January 23. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was included as an opener in India’s T20 World Cup squad in place of Shubman Gill, had a modest outing in the series opener, scoring 10 off seven balls.

Samson had also been left out of the playing XI for the fifth T20I against South Africa, and questions remain around his consistency at the international level. With the T20 World Cup approaching, the team management will be keen to see Samson convert starts into substantial innings.

India, aiming to take a 2-0 lead in the series, won the toss with captain Suryakumar Yadav opting to bowl first in the second T20I. New Zealand, meanwhile, are under pressure following their heavy defeat in the opening match and will be looking to respond strongly in Raipur to halt India’s momentum in the format.

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In the first T20I, India delivered a comprehensive performance, easing concerns ahead of their T20 World Cup title defence, despite recent home series losses to New Zealand in the ODI and Test formats. This series serves as India’s final assignment before the World Cup and provides a key opportunity to fine-tune combinations and build momentum.

IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I – Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry