IND vs NZ, 2nd ODI Match Prediction: Who will win today’s game between India and New Zealand?

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After a thrilling chase in the first ODI against New Zealand where Virat Kohli (93) and young Harshit Rana (29 & 2/65) steered India to a 4-wicket victory, the caravan moves to Rajkot. Leading the series 1-0, Shubman Gill’s India has the chance to clinch the series with a game to spare. New Zealand, led by Michael Bracewell, showed immense grit with the bat in the opener but will need their inexperienced bowling attack to step up on one of the flattest decks in the world.

India’s batting engine is purring. Rohit Sharma playing purely as a batter has liberated him to attack from ball one, while Gill (56 in 1st ODI) and Kohli anchored the middle perfectly.

With Washington Sundar missing from the squad after getting ruled out from the remainder of series, India will likely bring in Nitish Kumar Reddy or Ayush Badoni to balance the lower order. However, given the flat deck, they might trust Nitish as a seam-bowling all-rounder to partner with Harshit Rana.

Meanwhile, the Kiwis posted a competitive 300 in the first game thanks to Daryl Mitchell (84) and Devon Conway (56), but their bowling lacked penetration against India’s middle order. Kyle Jamieson (4 wickets in 1st ODI) was the lone bright spot with the ball. Captain Bracewell needs to manage his spinners better, as Rajkot can be brutal for slow bowlers if they don’t find the right length.

Matches played: 121 | India won: 63 | New Zealand won: 50 | No result/Tied: 8

The Niranjan Shah Stadium is historically a graveyard for bowlers. The surface is hard, offering true bounce and minimal lateral movement, encouraging batters to hit through the line. Heavy dew is expected in the evening, making the chase significantly easier. The captain winning the toss will almost certainly bowl first.

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India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ayush Badoni, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok, Jayden Lennox, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae

Case 1:

Case 2:

Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest

Also READ: IND vs NZ: Rib injury sidelines Washington Sundar for remainder of ODI series; replacement announced