India's preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup head into the final stretch as they take on New Zealand in a five-match series beginning today in Nagpur.
With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, the two sides will be playing with almost the same set of players and not tinker too much with the core group.
Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar, who were initially part of the squad for the series against New Zealand, suffered injuries and had to withdraw from the squad. They were replaced by senior batter Shreyas Iyer and leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi. The injured duo are expected to be fit in time to participate in the World Cup.
New Zealand, high after beating India 2-1 in the ODI series, will be boosted by the return of Mitchell Santner, who will be leading the team against the Men in Blue. The New Zealand camp also welcomes the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy.
Return of pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounders Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya adds heft to the Indian side. The match will be a significant milestone for Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who is set to play his 100th T20I.
India is the no. 1-ranked team in the T20Is, and in the coming weeks, they have the task of defending their World Cup crown. But those credentials will be seriously tested against New Zealand. In 2024, the Blackcaps demolished India 3-0 in Tests, and a few days ago they enjoyed their first ODI series win on Indian soil.
As the countdown to the T20 World Cup begins, this series offers India a chance to settle scores and fine-tune combinations.
India v New Zealand: Possible Playing 11
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (capt), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
India v New Zealand Head to Head (last five matches)
India has won three of the last five matches they have played against New Zealand. New Zealand have won one and one match ended in a tie.
Form Guide (last five matches)
India: W-W-L-W-W
New Zealand: W-W-W-L-L
Pitch Conditions
The pitch in Nagpur favours the spinners. Expect a dry and cool evening.
Match Time and LIVE stream details
The match gets underway at 7.00 pm IST. It will be streamed LIVE on the JioHotstar app and broadcast on the Star Sports channel.
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