New Zealand almost shocked India to win the ODI series but fell a few runs short in the deciding match. They now get the chance to make up for that when the two sides meet over three T20s which gets underway on Wednesday.
This format is actually one where New Zealand are ranked higher than India and they will fancy their chances after such a strong showing in the 50 over sphere.
Schedule
1st T20: Nov 1 at Delhi
2nd T20: Nov 4 at Rajkot
3rd T20: Nov 7 at Thiruvananthapuram
India
Although they won the ODI series I’m not convinced India will have been too enamoured with their performances across the three matches. I always feel they are under extra pressure in this format because of the success and prestige of the Indian Premier League and sometimes that can count against them.
India have won three and failed to win three of their six series since the World T20 last year. Their wins have generally come at home where they are strong but they can come unstuck against sides who offer power with the bat such as the West Indies and Australia. They will need to bowl well to win this series.
New Zealand
I hope New Zealand took plenty of positives away from their ODI series even though they narrowly lost it. They should be proud of their performances, especially in the first and third match, and had they held their nerve just a little bit better they would have taken the spoils. That near miss can act as motivation for this series.
The Kiwis have only played four T20s since that World T20 last March. They won all three in a series against Bangladesh but lost their sole match against South Africa. In total they have 49 wins to 41 losses in this format of the game with a couple of ties. If they are not rusty in this format they look to have every chance.
Head to Head
These two sides have only met in two previous T20 series and New Zealand have won the pair of them. India have never beaten New Zealand in any T20 match whether in a series or in a major tournament. That is something the home side will be looking to change here.
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Betting
I think based on what we saw in the ODI series that New Zealand have to be backed in this T20 series. They are renowned for their strategy in this format which is actually underrated and with India leading with a ceremonial departure of Ashish Nehra to begin the series you get the feeling this is not high up on their list of priorities.
New Zealand put in a lot of toil in the ODIs for little reward so I expect them to be extra motivated for these T20s. At 9/4 I think they can get the outcome they are looking for after the near miss of the 50 over battles.
I’m going to leave the series betting at that as we head to a ground I’m not familiar with for the final match so I’m not completely sure how that could sway the player markets.
Tips
Back New Zealand to win T20 series for a 3/10 stake at 3.25 with Betfred
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