Kamal Ghorui
VISAKHAPATNAM: Days ahead of the T20 World Cup, hosts India, with their ruthless approach, have sent strong signals that their title defence is firmly on track. The Suryakumar Yadavled side has hit top gear, winning all the three matches played against New Zealand so far. With the series already sealed ahead of the World Cup, the hosts will be keen to test their depth when they take on the visitors in the fourth T20I in the port city here on Wednesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The hosts are on a beast mode dominating New Zealand in all the three matches. While they won the opener by 48 runs batting first, India chased down 209-target in mere 15.2 overs in the second T20I and a 154-run chase in 10 overs in the next two.
Abhishek Sharma has been in regal form, breaking records for fun. While he smashed a 35-ball 84 in the opener, notching up his half-century in 22 balls, he became the second fastest Indian to reach his fifty in 14 balls during his 20-ball unbeaten 68 in the previous game. He is now only behind his mentor Yuvraj Singh, who scored a 12-ball fifty in 2007 T20 World Cup.Captain Suryakumar’s prolonged lean patch has been a cause of concern for the hosts going into the World Cup. But Surya, who always insisted that he was never out of form but short of runs, returned to form in style. Back-to-back half-centuries (82* & 57*) with his trademark shots that made him the World No.1 T20 batter, he’s proved that he was truly back to his best.
Ishan Kishan’s inclusion in the side added much flair to the batting order. The diminutive attacking batter complemented, at times overtook, Sharma, matching his tempo.However, the only blip in the Indian batting is the form of wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who logged unimpressive scores of 10, 6, 0 in the series so far.Kishan’s performances are mounting pressure on the Kerala batter to perform quickly. The team management will also look to give game time to Rinku Singh and Shreyas Iyer, the injury replacement for Tilak Varma, who will link-up with the World Cup squad on Feb 3.
In the bowling department Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the second game, was at his best picking wickets with misery spells despite being asked to bowl in the middle and death overs. Ravi Bishnoi, who was played in place of rested Varun Chakravarthy, too was impressive and might get another game. In contrast, Kuldeep Yadav was a bit expensive in the series and he looks to make amends. Pacers Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh will again fight for spot in the playing XI.In contrast, the visitors will come into the match with their confidence at rock-bottom.
