Last Update on: November 20th, 2022 at 02:10 pm
After the first match of the three-match T20I series at Sky Stadium in Wellington was called off due to rain without a ball being bowled, the second T20I began at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 20.
Many expected opener Shubman Gill to make his T20I debut after a great season for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, but when Hardik Pandya revealed the India XI for the second match of the three-match series, Gill was not named and instead went with Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan as openers for this match.
Shubhman Gill Will Play For India Soon – Ashish Nehra
Reacting to the team news, the presenter addressed former India cricketer Ashish Nehra about his absence and got a surprising response.
After the toss, where India lost and were put to bat first, presenter Gaurav Kapur said on Prime Video, “Thing is we wanted to see Ashish’s boy, Shubman Gill make his debut today.”
Nehra replied saying, “He’s India’s boy.” Kapur continued with a witty response, “He’s your boy. He’s played more T20s for you than he has played for India“
Nehra opined, “He will play for India soon.”
— The Game Changer (@TheGame_26) November 20, 2022
“To get a game, a proper 20-over game, is exciting. We still need to assess the conditions and see how the wicket is behaving. If the wicket doesn’t help you, and you try playing shots and lose wickets, and it doesn’t rain, you might be in a difficult position. We’ll assess the situation, and if the rain comes, we’ll reassess,” Hardik said at toss.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya(c), Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Kane Williamson(c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya(c), Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Kane Williamson(c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson