Harshit Rana continued his impressive run with the ball against New Zealand and made the most of his opportunity in the playing XI for the second T20I. He struck early by removing the dangerous Devon Conway, underlining the strides he has made in international cricket over the past year. Rana has shown clear improvement in recent months, quietening critics with his all-round growth. He was spot on in his opening over at Raipur and provided India with the first breakthrough by dismissing Conway, who had looked in ominous touch. The New Zealand batter was off to a sensational start in the innings as he smashed Arshdeep Singh in the first over for 18 runs.
Conway was on 19 from just eight balls when Rana was introduced in the fourth over. A well-disguised slower delivery did the trick as Conway went for another big hit but mistimed his shot, offering a chance to Hardik Pandya inside the circle. Pandya juggled it briefly before completing the catch. Rana then cheekily held up four fingers, a nod to having dismissed Conway four times on this tour, after getting the better of him three times in the ODI series.
Meanwhile, Rana was disciplined throughout the over and bowled a wicket maiden to mount the pressure on the visitors.
Also Read – Arshdeep Singh torched by Devon Conway for 18-run opening over, equals unwanted India record in Raipur
Suryakumar Yadav elects to bat first
Earlier, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first, citing dew as the key factor behind his decision. India made two changes to their playing XI with injured Axar Patel ruled out of the match, while Jasprit Bumrah rested. Kuldeep came in for his IPL captain, while Bumrah was replaced by Rana.
Suryakumar explained India’s decision at the toss, citing the presence of dew and the team’s desire to test themselves while chasing. The captain also spoke about the pitch conditions, the focus on constant improvement, and confirmed two changes to the playing XI ahead of the contest.
“We are going to bowl first. There is already little bit of dew out there, we haven’t chased in recent times, so we want to chase. I think it (the pitch) looks good. I think it’s the same wicket they said, which was used for the ODI series. I think we play every game, we try and improve on all the aspects. We never get perfect. We are always learning. But yeah, we look to do the same things again. We try and do the same thing in the bowling department, fielding and batting. We have two changes – Axar is missing out because he got hit in the last game. And Bumrah is resting tonight. So Harshit and Kuldeep come in,” Surya said at the toss.
