New Delhi: India will be looking to give Ashish Nehra the perfect farewell by registering their first T20 international win against New Zealand when the two sides meet at the Feroz Shah Kotla here Wednesday. The hosts have lost all their five matches against New Zealand, the last of which came in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup.
The game Wednesday, will be Nehra’s last in a career spanning 18 years irrespective of whether he finds a place in the final XI or not. Nehra’s career has been characterised by numerous injuries and comebacks and nothing would make him happier if he can end on a high. The man himself in a brief tete-a-tete with reporters here Tuesday said that he is looking forward to playing the game, but would also be equally happy sitting in the pavilion if India win.
In the three-game ODI series, the Kiwis have shown that they are no pushovers. They have the firepower both in batting and bowling departments to dash India’s aspirations. The addition of Tom Bruce in the place of Ross Taylor will certainly add explosiveness at the top of the order and if the New Zealand think-tank is to be believed, he may well open with Colin Munro in place of the out of form Martin Guptill.
The Kiwi bowling also looks good in the hands of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner. However, the fourth and fifth bowler slots are a little worrying for the visitors and the visitors may opt for a second spinner in Ish Sodhi, who has recently had a good tour of the country with the New Zealand A squad.
Most of the top Indian batsmen have been in good form in the recent ODI series and it must must be a good omen for skipper Virat Kohli as this format of the game is basically for batters. Rohit Sharma, Kohli himself, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya really make India a very good batting side.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s going for a few runs in the last ODI at Kanpur must have given Kohli some worries, but it is likely that he will persist with the UP pacer along with Jasprit Bumrah. However, it remains to be seen whether India will risk playing Kuldeep Yadav in place of the slightly more experienced Axar Patel when they announce the final XI an hour before the start of the game.
The Feroz Shah Kotla pitch here has always helped batsmen, but this time around it may slightly be on the slower side and make stroke-making slightly difficult. Also with November setting in, the dew will be a factor for the side bowling second. All this will certainly go a long way in contributing to an exciting game.
But the cynosure of all eyes will definitely be Virender Sehwag’s ‘Nehra ji’. For someone whose journey began February 24, 1999 spanning over 163 games in all formats and 235 wickets, it has been indeed been eventful, more so because of the player’s ability to overcome every surgery and setback. He deserves a fitting finale and Kohli’s brigade must strive their best to give him one.
Agencies