India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI, stats at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur

Following their spectacular triumph in the first ODI, Team India will play New Zealand in the second ODI on Friday, January 21st, in Raipur. After Michael Bracewell’s amazing performance nearly pulled off a remarkable chase for the Kiwis, the hosts were pushed to their limits. The Men in Blue will look to wrap off the series with a win in the second ODI after winning a last-over thriller in Hyderabad. In contrast, Rohit Sharma will be wary of the opposition after they showed their credentials as the top-ranked ODI squad in the series opener. While another trophy is now within sight, India’s major focus will be on drafting the finest possible World Cup squad.

The team management would like to see Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav spend more time in the middle in the absence of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. As of now, these two appear to be among the top five backups. If they do not take advantage of their opportunity, the situation may have changed by the time the World Cup arrives. In the first ODI between the two nations, Indian opener Shubman Gill became the sixth and youngest Indian player to record a double century in ODIs. He also became the fastest Indian to 1000 runs in the 50-over format. While Gill shone with the bat, Mohammed Siraj maintained his dominance with the ball, taking his second four-for in ODIs.

Read more: SA20: Squads and broadcasting details for the inaugural season

Stadium details

The stadium will host the first ODI ever. It has hosted IPL games before and also the Road Safety series.

IPL matches played: 6

Matches won by teams batting first: 2

Matches won by teams batting second: 4

Matches tied: 0

Highest team score: 164/5 – Delhi Daredevils vs. Pune Warriors, 2013

Lowest team score: 119/6 – Chennai Super Kings vs. Delhi Daredevils, 2015

Average 1st innings score: 146

IND vs NZ Head-to-Head

Played – 114, IND – 56, NZ – 50, NR -7, Tie – 1

Players to watch out

Despite repeatedly showing himself in the T20 format, Suryakumar Yadav has been unable to replicate his success in ODI cricket. He was looking good after scoring 31 off 26 deliveries in the last encounter, but Daryl Mitchell got the better of him. He could have taken advantage of the opportunity in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, but that isn’t the case right now.

Hardik Pandya, who was just named vice-captain of the Indian ODI team, has been fairly ordinary since. The 29-year-old is leaking runs with the ball and failing to impress with the bat. He leaked 10 runs per over in his last outing, which is cause for concern given that India still lacks a suitable replacement for Pandya.