Sanju Samson will be keen to settle into a long-awaited, clearly defined role at the top of the order, while Ishan Kishan must make his chances count when India take on New Zealand in the second T20I on Friday.

Also Read: Nitish Reddy caught in India’s ODI crossfire: Maiden fifty, mounting doubts

After being in and out of the playing XI through no fault of his own, Samson now appears set for an extended run ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup. A soft dismissal in the series opener would have disappointed the right-hander, who will be eager to showcase the full range of strokes that has already earned him three T20 hundreds.

Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, has a point to prove. A surprise inclusion in India’s World Cup squad, the left-hander was preferred over Shreyas Iyer in Nagpur. He looked fluent during his brief stay at the crease before being caught at cover. With India batting deep till No. 8, Kishan is expected to continue his aggressive approach, hoping that his fearless intent translates into a telling contribution.

Attention has also been on captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form ahead of the ICC event. While he didn’t produce a match-defining innings, his brisk 32 off 22 balls would have boosted his confidence.

Despite a few individual areas needing improvement, India’s emphatic win in the opening T20I sent a strong message to rivals ahead of the World Cup, where they enter as defending champions.

If India are to become the first team to successfully defend a men’s T20 World Cup title, Abhishek Sharma’s explosive form at the top will be crucial. The left-hander appears to be in the form of his life, displaying a rare ability to consistently clear the boundary.

Another major positive for India was the immediate impact of Rinku Singh, who returned to the side and delivered a telling lower-order contribution.

Even without Kuldeep Yadav, India’s bowling unit looks well balanced. Early wickets from Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya allow Jasprit Bumrah to be held back for three overs after the powerplay, adding significant firepower in the middle overs.

India’s imposing total in Nagpur also helped neutralise the dew factor, a challenge that is expected to resurface on Friday. No target can be considered safe, as South Africa demonstrated last month by comfortably chasing 359 in an ODI at this venue.

“The way we batted—even after being under pressure early—we took the game deep and then never stopped. All the batters played their role, and that was a big positive,” Suryakumar said after the win.

New Zealand will be keen to bounce back after acknowledging shortcomings with the ball in the opening game. Known for their ability to learn and adapt quickly, the Black Caps will back themselves to level the series.

They will, however, keep a close eye on Devon Conway’s recent dismissals, having been caught in the slip cordon to away movement on multiple occasions.

“We were under pressure throughout the innings. Against this team, there’s no phase where you can relax—you have to be on from ball one,” said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner.

Squads

India: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (capt), Devon Conway, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Robinson, Jimmy Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Zak Foulkes, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy.

Match starts: 7 pm

(By PTI Inputs)