With the conclusion of the mega T20 event that witnessed close to four weeks of intense action and 16 teams battle it out for the ultimate prize. We now have the bilateral T20I series between India and New Zealand with the 1st T20I set to take place this Wednesday at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
The tour is set to commence with the three-match T20I series which is scheduled to take place on the 17th, 19th, and 21st of November followed by the two-match Test series set to take place from the 25th of November.
Team India will start their new venture which will be headed by the newly appointed coach Rahul Dravid and will also mark Rohit Sharma’s career as the captain of the Indian side in the shortest format.
📸 📸: Some snapshots from #TeamIndia's 1⃣st practice session in Jaipur last evening. #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/LcQsQVVNuR
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 16, 2021
With IPL and the T20 WC 2021 taking a toll on the players, the tournament will not feature some of the mainstream Indian players and this means we will get to witness a few of the IPL stars namely- Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer make their debut for Team India.
India will come into this clash after a mediocre performance in the World T20, while the Kiwis were mighty close to claiming their maiden T20 title. Two contrasting sides in-game style, can the kiwis continue their merry run? Or will the new-look Indian side continue their domination at home?
Match Toss Time: 18:30 Local (13:00 GMT)
Match Start Time: 19:00 Local (13:30 GMT)
Match Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Head to Head
Matches Played: 17, India: 8, New Zealand: 9
Weather conditions and pitch
Team News
The absence of senior bowlers like Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah who have been rested due to fatigue means that we could see IPL sensations Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel make their debut. The axing of all-rounder Hardik Pandya means that Venkatesh Iyer too could be making his debut after a dream IPL season.
The Blackcaps will be without the services of the skipper Kane Williamson, who decided to rest himself to focus on the upcoming Test series. Veteran pacer Tim Southee is set to take up the leadership responsibility. Hong-kong born Mark Chapman is likely to replace the skipper.
Kane Williamson will miss this week’s three-game T20 series against India as he prioritises preparing for the Test series starting on November 25 in Kanpur. #INDvNZ https://t.co/zff00W47ER
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 16, 2021
Probable Playing Xl
India (IND): Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar/Mohammad Siraj
New Zealand (NZ): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Seifert (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee (c), Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Must-Picks
The newly appointed Indian vice-captain KL Rahul was seen in spectacular form in the last games of the Super 12 of the World T20 and given this is his fortress he is likely to pile on the runs. The kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, who did a wonderful job opening the innings is expected to play a crucial role as well.
Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and Kiwi all-rounder James Neesham are expected to bolster the fantasy line-up as well given their ability to score quick runs with the bat and pick up those crucial wickets in the middle-overs.
IND vs NZ fantasy team
Captain and VC picks
Prediction
Yes, the Kiwis are in great form and their impressive show in the ICC T20 WC 2021 is only expected to boost their confidence. On the other hand, the Indians after two consecutive losses managed to bounce back strong against the Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia sides.
There is no doubt that the conditions will be in favor of the Indians and given that we have a number of fresh legs to raring to showcase their talent on the field, the Indians look all set to seek revenge. However, the proceedings would not be as easy as we think and the Kiwis are expected to give a tough fight. Will the absence of the in-form skipper hurt the visitors?
Cricwizz predicts India to win the 1st T20I of the three-match series.
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