Indians gave a clinical performance on Friday to beat New Zealand by 7 wickets in the second T20I. It was a comprehensive team performance in all departments of the game viz. bowling, batting, and fielding. Kiwis hammered India in the opening match of the series and Indians returned the favor in the Auckland T20I. The last match of the tour is to be played in Hamilton with the series tied at 1-1. The visitors will be particularly pleased with the way they bowled in the second match. Now they head to Hamilton with the series hanging in balance. It is an ideal scenario for the spectators as there is everything to play for.
India Team Preparations
Krunal Pandya bowled superbly picking crucial wickets at vital times. He was ably supported by the seamers bowling with a hint of swing and together they restricted New Zealand to a substandard total. The ball gets scuffed up early in this format of the game with batsmen throwing their bats at everything and this allows the pace bowlers to reverse swing the ball a bit more. Now at Hamilton earlier in the 4th ODI, there was help for the swing bowlers so the Indians might decide to play an extra seamer in the match. The batting lineup delivered a no-nonsense performance with Rohit Sharma returning to form after a string of low scores.
New Zealand Team Preparations
The top order failure in the Auckland T20I will be a concern for the kiwi think tank. Seifert who played a stellar role in the win in the first match for the hosts was cramped for room in the second with some tight bowling by the Indian bowling attack. The middle and lower middle order also could not accelerate as required and they put up a total that could not be defended against a powerful batting unit. The silver lining was the batting of Grandhomme who batted aggressively and fearlessly and was instrumental in the kiwis putting a decent total on board. New Zealand will be hoping for a repeat in the final match.
Prediction
The visitors will be thinking of topping the memorable tour down under with another series win tomorrow. And with the form they are showing at the moment they may just do it. Despite the home conditions, New Zealand will start as underdogs in the final match. I think I will put my money on India to win the final match and the series.
Teams
India, New Zealand.
The Venue, Match Timing, and TV & Live Streaming
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton.
Timing: Sunday, February 10, 2019, at 12.30 PM IST, 8 PM local, 7 AM GMT.
TV:
| India & Subcontinent | Star Sports, DD National (DD1), DD Sports |
| New Zealand | SKY Sport NZ |
| UK | Sky Sports Cricket |
| Australia | Fox Sports |
| South Africa | SuperSport |
| Canada | ATN Cricket Plus (Asian Television Network), CBN |
| USA | Willow TV, Hotstar |
| Malaysia | Astro Cricket HD |
| MENA | OSN Sports Cricket HD |
| Bangladesh | Gazi TV (GTV) |
Live Streaming:
Hotstar, SkyGo, NowTV