Gautam Gambhir believes the India-New Zealand clash at the upcoming T20 World Cup is an evenly-matched contest. Team India will play New Zealand in their second match of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played on October 31 in Dubai.
The Virat Kohli-led side will go into the match after opening their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Gautam Gambhir: India And New Zealand Match In 2021 T20I World Cup Will Be Evenly Poised
During a discussion on the Star Sports show Game Plan, Gautam Gambhir pointed out that the success the Kiwis have enjoyed in previous ICC tournaments against India is immaterial.
“Absolutely 50-50. When you go to such a big tournament, the records are only for the media and the fans. The records do not matter for the players at all and they do not think about them as well.”
India will have a one-week break after playing against Pakistan, and will next take on the New Zealand side on 31st October 2021 once again in Dubai. The Indian side will play their third match of the tournament on 3rd November 2021, against the Afghanistan side.
India will play their 4th match of the tournament against the first placed qualifier team from Group B on 5th November 2021 at Dubai. And, their final Group fixture will be played on 8th November 2021, against the second-placed qualifying team from Group A in Dubai.
The former Indian opener added that an individual player might be concerned about his record against an opposition cricketer, but teams are not bothered about such stats.
“Yes, you can think about your individual record. If a player is struggling against a particular bowler, that can be on his mind. But Pakistan having never won against India and India having never won against New Zealand, that never matters.”
India has not defeated New Zealand in an ICC event since the 2003 ODI World Cup. The Kiwis were also the only team they lost to during their title-winning run at the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Gautam Gambhir: India Can Definitely Defeat New Zealand For Having Firepower
“India can definitely defeat New Zealand, you have the firepower. You have Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul – when you have batsmen and bowlers like these, it will not be easy for New Zealand.”
On the flip side, Gautam Gambhir warned that the Kiwis cannot be taken lightly either as they have a well-balanced side too.
“We cannot say New Zealand are the underdogs because they are a very very well-balanced side. They have Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson, and they have the firepower in the batting. So, you will have to play good cricket.”
Team India’s run at the last two ICC events has come to an end at the hands of New Zealand namely at the 2019 World Cup semi-final and the inaugural World Test Championship. They will hope to buck the trend and put it across the ICC World Test champions this time around.
New Zealand knocked out India in the 2019 ODI World Cup, defeating the Virat Kohli-led side in the semifinal. India travelled to New Zealand in February 2020, where they lost the ODI series and the Test series to the Kane Williamson-led team. The recent World Test Championship final defeat against NZ further showcased India’s inability to beat the Kiwis in ICC tournaments.