3 New Zealand batters who can threaten India's home domination in the T20I series

Having been hammered 0-3 in the ODI series, New Zealand will be keen to come up with a much better effort in the T20Is against Team India. The Kiwis will have a tough job since the Men in Blue are on a roll. They began the New Year by registering a 2-1 T20I series win over Sri Lanka before defeating them 3-0 in the ODIs.

Looking at the head-to-head comparison between the two teams, India have won 10 out of their 22 T20Is against New Zealand, while the Kiwis have won nine. One game ended in a tie (DLS method), while the Men in Blue won two other tied games in the Super Over. In India, the hosts have won five out of eight matches, while New Zealand have registered wins in three.

With Kane Williamson and Tim Southee being rested, keeping in mind the home Test series against England in February, all-rounder Mitchell Santner will lead the Kiwis in the T20Is against Team India. With Trent Boult not part of the T20Is as well, New Zealand’s bowling remains weak. As such, they would have to depend on their batting prowess to challenge India.

The Men in Blue will undoubtedly go into the T20I series as favorites, but we look at three New Zealand batters who could threaten India's home domination in the T20I rubber.

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#1 Michael Bracewell

Michael Bracewell in action during a Super Smash game. Pic: Getty Images

Indian cricket fans will not forget Michael Bracewell too soon. After the Men in Blue posted 349/8 against the Kiwis in the first ODI in Hyderabad, they then reduced the opposition to 131/6 in the 29th over. At that point, it seemed the match was all one-way traffic.

Enter Bracewell. The 31-year-old came in and batted as a man possessed. In what was an incredible display of clean hitting, the left-handed batter struck 12 fours and 10 sixes in his 78-ball 140.

From a position of no hope, he brought New Zealand to the brink of victory. Had Shardul Thakur not trapped Bracewell lbw with the second ball of the last over, there was every chance of the centurion taking New Zealand home. He was just in a different zone with the bat.

Team India survived the Bracewell blitz in Hyderabad and were able to keep him reasonably silent in the next two ODIs - 22 in Raipur and 26 in Indore. However, Bracewell did show glimpses of his big-hitting ability in these knocks as well. If he fires in the T20Is, the southpaw could give India a scare.

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#2 Devon Conway

Kiwi opener Devon Conway. Pic: Getty Images

Kiwi opener Devon Conway will be the key to the team’s batting in Williamson’s absence. The left-handed batter did not contribute much in the first two ODIs against India as he was dismissed for 10 and seven, respectively. However, he played a terrific knock in the dead rubber in Indore, slamming 138 off just 100 balls, a knock featuring 12 fours and eight sixes.

Although New Zealand went on to lose the game by 90 runs, Conway will take the confidence from his hundred into the T20I series against the Men in Blue. Barring a couple of failures in the ODIs against India, the southpaw has been in great form with the willow.

Conway was one of the top run-getters in the two-match Test series against Pakistan, scoring 232 runs in four innings at an average of 77.33. Subsequently, he was Player of the Series as the Kiwis won the three-match ODI rubber by a 2-1 margin. After kicking off the series with a duck, he smashed 101 in the second ODI and 52 in the third.

New Zealand will be looking to Conway to stand up and deliver the goods in the T20I series against a dominant Men in Blue.

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#3 Glenn Phillips

Glenn Phillips during the Napier T20I against India. Pic: Getty Images

Maverick Glenn Phillips had a disappointing ODI series against India. In three matches, he registered scores of 11, 36, and five. Being one of the key members of the batting outfit, Phillips would have been extremely disappointed with his performances in the 50-over matches. He will thus be hungry to make an impact in the T20Is, a slam-bang format that suits him much more.

The 26-year-old was recently named in the ICC Men’s T20I Team of 2022. It was a deserving honor as Phillips was one of the star performers in the format last year. In 21 matches, he smashed 716 runs at an average of 44.75 and a strike rate of 156.33, with one hundred and six fifties. His standout performance was a whirlwind hundred in the T20 World Cup 2022 clash against Sri Lanka.

Phillips was also the Player of the Match for his 42-ball 63* in the third ODI against Pakistan in Karachi earlier this month, helping the Kiwis clinch the series 2-1.

On his day, the unorthodox right-hander could be among the most destructive batters in the game. New Zealand will hope he can find his batting groove against India in the T20Is.

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