After the hiding at Wellington, India will hope for a change in fortunes and also skipper Rohit Sharma's form when they take on New Zealand in the second Twenty20 International match at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday.
The visitors suffered their biggest T20I defeat in terms of runs in the first match, which witnessed the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up crumble like a pack of cards. And the match also witnessed Rohit, one of the most consistent limited-overs batsmen, getting out for single-digit runs for the third time in succession – a single off five balls. He scored seven and two in the fourth and fifth ODIs.
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But the 30-year-old is on the cusp of achieving historic feats. The right-handed batsman needs 35 runs to become the leading scorer in the shortest format of the game. As of now, Kiwi opener Martin Guptill, who is out of the ongoing series due to an injury, leads the charts with 2272 runs, followed by Pakistan veteran Shoaib Malik (2245).
The Hitman needs two sixes to become the third batsman to notch up 100-mark in T20Is. Guptill and the West Windies legend Chris Gayle, who's making a comeback to international cricket.
The 80-run defeat at Westpac Stadium on Wednesday ended Rohit's record consecutive T20I wins as India captain. He and MS Dhoni had led India to seven successive wins.
