Raipur, Jan 22 (NationPress) Following a strong start to the five-match T20I series, the Indian cricket team aims to keep their winning streak alive as they face New Zealand in the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Friday.

Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, India kicked off their preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup with a significant 48-run victory over the Black Caps in the series opener held in Nagpur on Wednesday. With a 1-0 lead in the series, they have a chance to assert their dominance.

The Indian batting lineup showcased impressive power, spearheaded by opener Abhishek Sharma, who delivered a dazzling performance with 84 runs off just 35 balls, including five fours and eight sixes, setting an imposing benchmark.

Support from the middle order was notable, with Rinku Singh remaining unbeaten at 44, while both captain Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya contributed significantly, helping India to a total of 238 runs for the loss of seven wickets.

The bowlers maintained pressure, with spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and all-rounder Shivam Dube taking two wickets each, restricting New Zealand to 190 runs despite a resilient effort.

For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips stood out with a commendable 78 runs off 40 balls, but the lack of adequate support from his teammates hindered their chase.

The top bowler for New Zealand, Jacob Duffy, continued his impressive form by taking two key wickets while conceding only 27 runs in his four overs. His performance will be vital as New Zealand seeks to bounce back in the second T20I.

Historically, India has played just one T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, where they secured a victory against Australia by 20 runs in 2023.

The pitch has previously favored spinners, who averaged 18.16 in terms of wickets taken and displayed superior control compared to seamers, who allowed 9.17 runs per over.

Currently, Glenn Phillips is on the verge of a milestone, needing three more sixes to achieve 100 in T20I, and is also four catches shy of 150 in T20 cricket.

Simultaneously, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is five sixes away from reaching 200 maximums across international formats, while Rinku Singh is only 59 runs away from 3,500 T20 runs.

As the series progresses, India will aim to capitalize on the confidence gained from their initial match, likely keeping their playing XI unchanged to pursue a 2-0 lead.

New Zealand, on the other hand, is determined to equalize the series and will seek improved bowling performance and consistency in batting to counter India's aggressive approach.

When: Friday, Jan 24, 7:00 PM IST

Where: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Where to Watch: Star Sports Network for live TV and JioHotstar for live streaming.

Squads:

India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravi Bishnoi

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