New Delhi: India are poised for their third T20 International series triumph in five years but would be wary of a strong fightback from the usually plucky New Zealand when the two sides clash in the second game of the three-match series today.
The comprehensive 53-run victory in the series opener at Delhi has put India firmly in the saddle for sweeping to a winning 2-0 lead at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here in Kandheri.
Here are all the numbers you need to know ahead of the crunch match:
- Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot will host its second T20I match today. In the first match, India chased down Australia's total of 201/7 with the help of Yuvraj Singh’s blitz.
- In the last ten games at the venue, teams chasing won six times. Teams batting first won three of them while one game ended in a tie.
- India captain Virat Kohli's average in the shortest format of the game at the venue is 96.5, which is the highest for any player.
- Kohli has scored 193 runs in three innings with a century and a fifty. His hundred at this ground was the first of the four centuries he has scored in T20 cricket.
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- Kohli will become the first Indian and 8th overall to complete 7000 runs in T20 cricket, if scores a minimum of 10 runs.
- Kohli needs one boundary to become the first Indian and third overall, after Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mohammad Shahzad to hit 200 fours in T20Is.
- This will be the seventh T20I game between India and New Zealand.
- MS Dhoni is the only player to have featured in all the previous six matches. Ross Taylor played the first five matches, before missing the previous game in Delhi.
- MS Dhoni needs four dismissals in T20 to become the first wicketkeeper to reach the 200 mark. He has a total of 202 dismissals in this format, but six of them came when he was not playing as a wicketkeeper.
- MS Dhoni requires 66 runs to complete 16,000 across all formats. He will become the 5th Indian and 4th slowest to this milestone.
- With 38 wickets since 2016 in T20Is, Jasprit Bumrah is the 2nd most successful bowler after Rashid Khan (40).
- Tim Southee needs four scalps to complete 50 T20I wickets. He will become only 2nd Kiwi bowler to reach this landmark after Nathan McCullum (58). He also needs 3 runs to complete 2,000 runs across formats.
- Kiwi captain Kane Williamson needs 53 runs reach 11,000 in international cricket. He will become only 5th New Zealand cricketer after Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor and 65th overall to achieve this milestone.
- Martin Guptill needs 51 more runs to become the 7th New Zealand player with 10000 International runs.
