India and New Zealand are set to lock horns in Match 28 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium. Both the teams, are yet to taste a win and get points on board as Virat Kohli and men lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets and Kane Williamson and men lost to them by 5 wickets.

New Zealand is currently placed fourth on the points table without tasing a win, on the other hand, India is placed in the fifth position losing their first encounter against Pakistan. This match between both teams will be the deciding fate for Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson. The black caps have an upper hand as India has never defeated New Zealand in the T20 World Cup.

The Indian contingent has had a long 6-day break after their defeat against Pakistan, and they have been working hard in the training sessions.

Fast & Accurate!#TeamIndia #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/g6pVfKDsJ7

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 29, 2021

Let’s take a look at what skipper Virat Kohli has said about the upcoming matches India will play in this T20 World Cup.

💬 💬 We exactly know how to approach the matches ahead.#TeamIndia captain @imVkohli on how the side will go about their upcoming #T20WorldCup games. #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/lChCoNorCQ

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 30, 2021

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Match Details: 

Match – India vs New Zealand – Match 28 of 45

Venue – Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

Time – 07:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network

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Pitch Report

The pitch in Dubai has been a sporting one to play cricket for the time being. The track hasn’t been an absolute belter by any means. Batting second should be the way forward as all the matches have been won by the chasing teams.

Average first innings score: 135 (5 T20Is in Dubai in T20 World Cup 2021)

Record of Chasing teams: Won – 5, Lost – 0, Tied – 0

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India vs New Zealand –  Predicted Playing XI

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Tim Seifert (wk), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

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Head-to-head

Overall

Matches- 16, India– 6, New Zealand– 8, Tied- 2

In T20 World Cups

Matches- 2, India– 0, New Zealand– 2, Tied-0

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Batsmen to watch 

KL Rahul (India) 

KL Rahul has been excellent for India at the top for years now. His style of T20 batting is known as one of the bests in modern cricket. He needs a big score in today’s encounter to perfectly set himself up for the upcoming matches of this T20 World Cup.

He has the skill hence, he needs the temperament to stay there and score big for the team.

Bowler to watch 

Jasprit Bumrah (India) 

Jasprit Bumrah was in stupendous form for the Mumbai Indians in the 2021 edition of the IPL. The pacer is known for hitting the right channels and absorbing pressure in crunch moments.

In the match against Pakistan, he tried his best but the conditions didn’t support him much. If he finds his rhythm today, New Zealand could be in for a lot of trouble.

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India vs New Zealand – Match Prediction – Who will win the match?

Virat Kohli and men are known for performing in such crucial moments of an ICC tournament. Toss will be very important, in order to win the game. With the right team balance and the right strategy, India can have the better of Team New Zealand and win this encounter to get points on board.

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