India enters do-or-die showdown against New Zealand, do you know Team India’s record in Lucknow?TAZAA News

LUCKNOW: After losing the first T20 match against New Zealand, the young Indian cricket team led by Hardik Pandya will land at the Akana Maidan in Lucknow on Sunday (January 29) aiming to bounce back in the series.

After losing the first match of the three-match series, tomorrow’s match will remain a done deal for the Indian team. To turn the game in their favour, a youth-laden India team will need to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past with gusto, while skipper Hardik Pandya will also avoid experimenting too much. Despite using seven bowlers in the Ranchi innings, runs were wasted more than expected, while top-order failure in the batting put the team in more trouble. As a result, India was forced to lose at home.

Arshaddeep, who sent batsmen into a frenzy in the T20 World Cup with a brilliant yorker, has so far failed to live up to expectations on home soil. When given the chance in tomorrow’s game, they will have to stop the wide ball, while storm bowlers Imran Malik and Shivam Mavi will have to control the length of the line and cause problems for the Kiwi batsmen. The emergence of Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav in the field helped spin in Ranchi. Sundar scored a brilliant half-century for New Zealand after taking two crucial wickets, but could not save the team from defeat.

Looking ahead to the preparations for the next T20 World Cup, the Indian team continues to practice. Enthusiastic players under the leadership of veteran coach Rahul Dravid also proved themselves, but the failure of the top order was the main reason for the defeat in Ranchi. Now in the deciding game of the series, it will be interesting to see whether captain Pandya and coach Dravid make changes in the top order or rely on the final playing XI. Prithvi Shaw’s future may also be decided in tomorrow’s match.

Akana Ground has been lucky for India so far in terms of T20 matches. Team India played two T20 matches here where they defeated West Indies and Sri Lanka. After the rain here on Saturday, bright sunshine will work to absorb moisture across the land. Almost all the tickets for the game in the beautiful Akana Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000 spectators, have been sold. The City of Nawabs is at its peak for cricket. Pandya’s team will want to keep the series winner alive by gifting Lucknow.

(with single entry)