New Zealand vs India 2019: Is India ready for the 2nd T20? 

India were resoundingly defeated by the Kiwis in the first T20 which was played at Wellington. After the high of the ODI series wins against Australia and New Zealand, this loss is a reality check for the visitors.

The Indian team seemed to dearly miss Virat Kohli's leadership and critical decision-making skills in the match. Many other factors contributed to the defeat too, such as weak team selection, loose bowling and fielding, and lack of batting support.

All of these things put a question mark over the readiness of the team for the second T20.

We cannot take anything away from the Kiwis, who showcased an excellent performance in the first match. With Tim Seifert sticking to the crease for over half the innings, scoring 84 off 43 balls, and with the experienced Tim Southee handling the bowling department exceptionally well, it was always going to be a formidable task to defeat the team.

That said, there were quite a few areas where Team India erred, and which they ultimately had to pay the price for.

The Indian batsmen namely Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar failed to estimate the size of the field as most of them were caught out in the deep while trying to hit big. While connecting the ball with sufficient power and finding the gaps astutely might sound like basic advice, neither of those things were followed in the first match.

Moreover, getting used to the conditions in New Zealand takes some time. If India wants to save the series, the likes of Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Kartik, who haven't spent a lot of time in the middle lately, could be replaced with in-form players Kedar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav. Jadhav can provide insurance to the batting order while Kuldeep along with Yuzvendra Chahal would make for a lethal wicket-taking combination.

Most would agree that the current Indian team doesn't seem ready for the second T20, and that it needs some modifications in order to give a tough counter to the Kiwis. The defeat in the first match was an eye-opener for the players, and should be taken as a challenge that needs to be overcome through right preparation and execution.