Time: February 12, 3:30 AM IST
Venue: John Davies Oval, Queenstown
Pitch Report
The pitch looked favourable for batting in the T20I on Wednesday. There, however, wasn’t enough turn on offer for the spinners. 9 of 13 wickets belonged to the pacers.
Teams
Probable XI for New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine (c), Amelia Kerr, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Katey Martin (wk), Lauren Down, Hayley Jensen, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Kerr, Hannah Rowe
Probable XI for India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Yastika Bhatia/Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav
Fantasy Tips
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on the recent performances, overall impact, and credit points.
Power Players
Mithali Raj has impressive numbers against New Zealand. In 30 games she has managed 998 runs, including a hundred and 6 fifties. To add more fuel to the fire, she has scored 5 fifties in her last 7 ODIs.
Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine laid the foundation for New Zealand in the T20I, scoring 67 runs between them and putting India on the back foot. Both also average just over 35 in ODIs against India. In addition, Bates has taken 10 wickets at 28.7.
Jhulan Goswami has sniped up a walloping 41 wickets at 19.7 against New Zealand, comprising a four- and a five-wicket haul. To make matters more interesting, she has also scored a fifty against them.
Amy Satterthwaite was in ominous touch in 2021. She scored 366 runs at 40.6, including a match-winning hundred against England.
Smart Picks
Smriti Mandhana has been in great touch since the Australian T20 League. She smashed 377 runs including a hundred and two fifties. Against New Zealand in ODIs, she averages 40.12.
Lea Tahuhu was named the Player of the Match in the T20I for her brisk innings of 24 off 17 and the solitary wicket of Pooja Vastrakar.
Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma smothered the home team with tight lines and lengths, giving 42 runs and taking 4 wickets between them.
In her short 6-ODI career, Shafali Verma has scored 164 runs with a strike rate of 74.
Although Harmanpreet Kaur couldn’t make an impact in the T20I, she was brilliant in the Australian T20 League. She was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for her 406 runs and 15 wickets in 13 games.
Match Prediction
New Zealand are ahead in the head-to-head race against India, winning 28 of 49 ODIs. However, India have won 7 of the last 10 matches.
Fantasy Tip of the Day
Choosing captains and vice captains with utter focus since it can make or break your game, quite literally. Since captains and VCs in an online fantasy cricket can help you get 2X and 1.5X scores.
