4.6 overs (1 Run) Full ball, on off. Chapman pushes it to covers. The fielder gets across to his left and slides to stop it. Just a single then. 14 runs and a wicket from the over!
4.5 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Chapman is off the mark in style! Short ball, outside off. Chapman pulls it to the right of mid on. Shreyas Iyer chases it but the ball wins the race.
4.4 overs (1 Run) Slower ball, short of a length, on off. Daryl Mitchell awkwardly pulls it to deep square leg for one.
4.3 overs (2 Runs) A full toss, on the pads. Daryl Mitchell works it to the right of long on for a couple. 50 up for New Zealand.
Mark Chapman walks out to bat. He is fresh from a fine knock in Jaipur and would like to make another contribution in this match.
4.2 overs (0 Run) OUT! TAKEN! Chahar got Guptill in the previous game and he gets him again! Effort ball from him, he digs it in short around middle and gets it to bounce a bit extra. Guptill goes for the pull but ends up getting the top edge. The ball travels high in the air towards short fine leg. Harshal Patel is circling around but Pant calls for it. The keeper gets under it and takes it safely. Chahar is pumped, change in length has done the trick for him!
4.1 overs (6 Runs) SIX! Another maximum! Chahar serves a length ball, on middle. Guptill backs away to the leg side, says thank you very much and deposits it over long on for a maximum. This is some brilliant hitting by New Zealand.
Deepak Chahar (1-0-10-0) is back on.
3.6 overs (2 Runs) Length ball, on the pads. Daryl Mitchell works it to the right of deep square leg. Two taken and 13 from Kumar's second.
3.5 overs (0 Run) Slower ball, on a length, just outside off. Blocked out by Mitchell to covers.
3.4 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Nailed it! Short of a length, on off. Daryl Mitchell rocks back and pulls it towards deep mid-wicket. The ball takes one bounce before going on to hit the advertising board.
3.3 overs (0 Run) Back of a length, around off. Daryl Mitchell blocks it out.
Ouch! Martin Guptill has been struck on his helmet. Out comes the Kiwi physio to follow the concussion protocol.
3.2 overs (1 Run) That's nasty! Short ball, well-directed at the batsman. Guptill goes for the pull but gets hit on the helmet. The ball rolls to third man and they take a leg bye. Bhuvneshwar Kumar enquires with Martin Guptill and the Kiwi batter gestures that he is fine.
3.1 overs (6 Runs) SIX! BOOM! First maximum of the game! Length ball, on middle. Guptill backs away to the leg side and hammers it straight down the ground for a biggie. Martin Guptill has become the leading run-getter in this format!
Change of ends for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He went for 14 in his first over.
2.6 overs (0 Run) Dot to finish. Flatter ball, on off. Blocked out. Just 5 from Patel's first.
2.5 overs (1 Run) Flatter ball, on off. Guptill heaves it from the inner half of the bat to deep mid-wicket for one.
2.4 overs (2 Runs) Shorter ball, on off. Guptill makes room and punches it wide of long off. Rahul runs across but there is a fumble and the batters take two. Dew has already set in and fielding is going to be challenging under these wet conditions.
2.3 overs (0 Run) Fired in on off. Guptill just blocked it out.
2.2 overs (1 Run) Darted on the pads once more. Daryl Mitchell clips it past square leg for a single.
2.1 overs (1 Run) Darted on the pads. Guptill flicks it past mid on. Shreyas Iyer gets across and slides to stop it. Just a single then.
Axar Patel comes into the attack.
1.6 overs (0 Run) Short of a length, outside off. Punched to covers. 10 from the second over. New Zealand are attacking the Powerplay overs.
1.5 overs (0 Run) Chahar drags his length back a bit. Outside off. Mitchell pushes it to covers.
1.4 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Brilliant stroke! Fuller ball, on off. Daryl Mitchell extends his elbows and hits it straight down the ground. The umpire sits down and the ball speeds away to the boundary line.
1.3 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Hammered! Swinging ball, right in the line of the stumps and on a good length. Daryl Mitchell hits it down the ground. It goes past mid on and runs to the fence.
1.2 overs (1 Run) Chahar lets it go on full length, on off. Guptill pushes it to mid off for one.
1.1 overs (1 Run) Fuller ball, around off. Daryl Mitchell taps it towards mid-wicket for one.
Who will bowl from the other end? Deepak Chahar it is.
0.6 over (4 Runs) FOUR! Clean strike! First clean strike of the game! Length ball, around off. Guptill hits it over covers. The ball bounces just inside the rope and goes into the fence. 14 from the first over.
0.5 over (0 Run) Another inswinger, around leg, Guptill misses the flick.
0.4 over (2 Runs) Dropped! Plenty of action in the first over of the game! A tough chance goes down. A slower ball, on a length, on off. Guptill looks to go downtown but does not middle it. The ball goes over and behind mid off. KL Rahul runs back and takes a very good catch but, as he tries to balance himself, it pops out. The man from mid on, Ravichandran Ashwin, has also reached there and he stops it from going to the fence. Two taken. A terrific attempt but KL would be disappointed to drop it after doing all the hard work.
0.3 over (0 Run) This lands on off and on a length and comes back in. Guptill looks to flick it away but gets hit on the pads.
0.2 over (4 Runs) FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Martin Guptill! Overpitched ball, on off. Guptill goes hard at it. The ball takes the outer half of the bat and goes over point for a boundary. Two boundaries but none convincing.
0.1 over (4 Runs) FOUR! Swing straightaway! Kumar bowls a pearler, on off. Guptill is very tentative in his defence. The ball swings away and takes the outside edge. Suryakumar Yadav is at first slip and he dives to his right but the ball goes past him and runs away to the third man fence.
We are set for the game to begin! The Indian team is in a huddle before spreading out on the field. Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell walk out to bat for New Zealand. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to start with the ball. Here we go...
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is down for a chat. He says that it felt good taking wickets in the last game and winning the game was even better. Adds that he has been bowling a lot lately and that has helped his rhythm too. Mentions that when he went back home for a few days, he bowled quite a bit as he did not want to be undercooked for the series.
Tim Southee, the skipper of New Zealand, says that they would have bowled first as well as there is a lot of dew already on the ground. Adds that they wanted to keep fighting and take it deep in the last game. Tells that they were certainly not at their best in the previous game but they are looking forward to this one. Informs that they have made three changes to their XI - Ish Sodhi, James Neesham and Adam Milne replace Todd Astle, Rachin Ravindra and Lockie Ferguson.
Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, says that chasing is a good option here due to the dew factor. Adds that the previous game was a good effort as the guys who finished the innings hadn't batted a lot in such situations. Admits that it got a bit too close towards the end but it is good to get a win. Says that they have a nice balance between youth and experience in the side and it is a good setup. Informs that Mohammed Siraj misses out due to his injury which he sustained in the last game and Harshal Patel comes in the side.
New Zealand (Playing XI) - Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (WK), James Neesham (In for Rachin Ravindra), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (C), Ish Sodhi (In for Todd Astle), Adam Milne (In for Lockie Ferguson), Trent Boult.
India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel (On debut) (In for Mohammed Siraj).
Toss - Rohit Sharma and Tim Southee are in the middle. Up goes the coin, Tim calls Heads but it has come down Tails. INDIA ELECT TO FIELD FIRST!
Pitch report - Deep Dasgupta is down for the pitch report. He says that the last time a T20 match was played here was the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2020 and the average score was 155. He talks about the dimensions of the ground and informs us that there are long boundaries. Ajit Agarkar also joins him and says that the surface looks abrasive and there is no grass here. He adds that the bowlers will use their cutters to trouble the batters. About the dew, Agarkar says that the team bowling first could get more from the surface and defending will be tough here. Also, they inform that the dew has already started to set in.
Breaking News - We have visuals from the Indian team huddle. Harshal Patel is getting his cap and the pacer is set to make his debut in T20Is! It will be interesting to see who he replaces in the side.
Earlier in the day, one of the greatest modern-day cricketers, AB de Villiers, announced his retirement from all forms of the game. There were plenty of heartwarming messages pouring in, but one which stood up the most was by his former South African teammate, Dale Steyn. 'And just like that, every bowler breathes a sigh of relief', is what the fiery pacer said and it sums up the career of ABD perfectly. From hitting the ball to all parts of the ground to enduring a blockathon while trying to save a Test, de Villiers could do it all. We thank him for all the countless memories that he gave us and wish him all the best for his off-field life. Farewell, ABD!
It's a chance to seal the series and India will be looking to iron out their flaws and deliver a more clinical performance today. But can they do it against this motivated Kiwi side? It remains to be seen. Either way, the game promises to be an exciting one given the talent on show today. Stay tuned for the toss.
The new era for the Indian team began with a victory but not before some anxious moments in the death overs of the chase. The experienced duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin was brilliant for the Men in Blue and they would want their younger counterparts to contribute as well. But the perennial issue for India remains of a 6th bowling option and Venkatesh Iyer at this time remains favourite to fill that gap. The batting in the first game faltered away at the backend but the runs at the top of the order by Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were just about enough to get them over the line. Rishabh Pant came in at number 4 ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the last game and it remains to be seen if that is the right order for Pant or India are trying to use him as a floater.
New Zealand lost a close game in the first match of the series. But there were plenty of positives from the game for the Black Caps. They were without their charismatic skipper, Kane Williamson, but Mark Chapman played a fine knock in his absence at number 3. The only matter of concern for the Kiwis will be the form of the lower order but they have enough quality in their ranks to sort that out. Their bowling group, on the other hand, after starting on an expensive note, came back strongly despite the dew factor. Will they stick to the same set of bowlers or are we going to see Ish Sodhi in this match? New Zealand are a very disciplined outfit and have played well in crunch games recently. Can they get over the line tonight and level the series?
India and New Zealand are set to lock horns in a T20I again as this bilateral series now moves on to Ranchi. In the first game of the series, India managed to get over the line after some late hiccups. This game is another opportunity to fine-tune their performance and seal the series with a match to go. New Zealand, on the other hand, despite resting some of their key players fought till the end in the previous encounter and will be eyeing a series-leveling win tonight. With plenty of exciting action ahead, welcome to our coverage.
... MATCH DAY ...
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