IND vs NZ | Pressure on New Zealand will have to be created with MS Dhoni-like field setting, says Harbhajan Singh

The Babar Azam-led side beat India for the first time in the history of the T20 World Cup last Sunday, by 10-wickets. Two days later, they beat New Zealand by five wickets in a closely contested game in Sharjah. Pakistan registered a hat-trick of wins in the tournament as they beat Afghanistan on Friday. Meanwhile, the Men In Blue and the Kiwis had a long break between their two matches. Both the sides will come afresh and look to regain some momentum with a win in their second game of the tournament. 

Ahead of the high-pressure match, former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has asserted that India can create pressure on the Kane Williamson-led side with MS Dhoni-like tactics on the field.

“T20s is such a format where if you don’t take wickets, you’ll keep getting further away from the game. For that, the pressure will have to be created through the field setting like MS Dhoni does when he captains CSK.

“He puts the fielder in such a place where the ball will go. It’s not necessarily the orthodox midwicket or cover, he moves his fielders to places where the ball is expected to go. I expect this kind of captaincy and this kind of awareness from India in this match,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.  

The 41-year-old concluded that India can restrict New Zealand to a low total and put the Kiwis under pressure by dismissing Kane Williamson early in the innings. 

“India will have to build pressure on Kane Williamson upfront. If India can get him out early, I believe they can even keep their score under 130. And if they do that, India will be able to chase it easily,” the 41-year-old added.