India are set to face New Zealand in the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday, January 23. The Men in Blue currently lead the five-match series 1-0 after a commanding 48-run victory in the opening T20I. India’s win was powered by a fiery knock from Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order, followed by a disciplined and collective bowling performance that kept the New Zealand batters in check.

After suffering a 1-2 defeat in the preceding ODI series against New Zealand, India will be keen to bounce back strongly in the shorter format.

India have played just one T20 International at the Raipur venue so far, which came against Australia on December 1, 2023. The hosts emerged victorious by 20 runs in that encounter, which was the fourth match of a five-match T20I series. Batting first, India posted a competitive total of 174/9 in their 20 overs. Rinku Singh top-scored with a composed 46 off 29 balls, while Jitesh Sharma provided valuable late momentum with 35 off 19 deliveries.

The opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad also laid a solid foundation, adding 50 runs for the first wicket. For Australia, Ben Dwarshuis was the standout bowler with figures of 3/40, while Jason Behrendorff (2/32) and Tanveer Sangha (2/30) chipped in with crucial wickets.

In reply, Australia managed 154/7 in their allotted overs. Matthew Wade remained unbeaten on 36 off 23 balls, while Travis Head scored a brisk 31 off 16 deliveries. For India, Axar Patel delivered a match-winning spell, finishing with impressive figures of 3/16, while Deepak Chahar picked up 2/44 to seal the victory.

With limited match exposure at the Raipur venue but plenty of confidence from their opening T20I win, India will look to go 2-0 up in the series and maintain momentum against the Kiwis.