Veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has predicted the winner of the upcoming three-match T20I series between India and New Zealand starting on November 17, Wednesday, in Jaipur.
Talking about the current form, the Black Caps made it to the final of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, though they lost the trophy to Australia, while Team India was knocked out of the tournament after failing to make it to the semi-finals.
In their last bilateral T20Is series in 2020, India whitewashed the Black Caps in a five-match T20I series in New Zealand.
This time, India will have an added home advantage and the Kiwis will certainly face a stiffer challenge in the spin-friendly conditions in the upcoming T20I series, as they will also be missing their skipper Kane Williamson.
Considering the fact, Harbhajan predicted the result in favor of India, saying the hosts will beat New Zealand 2-1 in the three-match T20I series starting on Wednesday.
Harbhajan said on Star Sports on Tuesday: “I wish Team India all the best and I hope they win. India winning the series 2-1 is what I am predicting.”
He also named Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav as the two players who can be key batters for India at the next T20 World Cup in Australia if they are given regular opportunities.
Harbhajan explained, “I want to see some of the new players in a different role. Like Ishan Kishan, I want to see him play regularly. He has a lot of potential. He will be a key player for the next T20 World Cup. He will have the responsibility of batting at No. 3 so I feel he should be given as many chances as possible.”
He signed off by saying, “Apart from him, Suryakumar Yadav is a player who can fit in any format. A player like him can bat at any position. I would want that role to be given to him because he is a player who can win you tournaments, not only matches. He has that 360-degree game. He is one of those guys I am really looking forward to performing.”
