It’s been almost a decade since the first game of the Indian Premier League was played at the Shahid Via Narayan International Cricket Stadium. Still, the buzz around the big game is greatest in and around the capital, Chhattisgarh.
As incredible as it may sound, Michael Bracewell’s Hurricane hit the series opener in Hyderabad. But the stadium will host its first international match, and also its first List A game, when India seals another bilateral ODI series against New Zealand on Saturday.
While fake jersey sellers were active and locals bargaining vigorously with street vendors, those lucky enough to enter the massive 65,000-capacity stadium said the Indian team would progress over the weekend. I’m looking forward to the fireworks display inside. Wednesday’s double centurion Shubman Gill was absent from India’s optional training session on Friday, along with Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Suryakumar Yadav. If Gill can score a centuries-old hat-trick, he benefits India.
Captain Rohit Sharma, who has had long sessions at the net with slowdowns and spinners, will be thrilled to start his year at Willow. I want you to pull up your socks.
No doubt the Hyderabad dew played a part. But the Indian bowlers’ plans began to fall apart the moment Bracewell started chasing them. As a result, Bracewell and Mitchell Santner scared India while chasing a target 350.
It will be interesting to see if India opts for Umran Malik on a track that is unlikely to offer as much bounce as Hyderabad. Malik, who missed his two previous ODIs, vomited poison into his kishan during a brief explosion in the web. If India chooses Malik, it will have to sacrifice his Thakur for Shardul, who scored a commendable final in Hyderabad two days ago. New Zealand, meanwhile, have to make tough decisions about their team composition. Veteran leggie Ish Sodi had a long afternoon with the Nets after missing the series opener with a minor issue. With Santner and Bracewell as all-rounders, it will be a challenge for captain Tom Latham to get Soddy into the squad.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Finn Allen, Doug Bracewell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner.
Match starts 1.30 PM IST.