After convincingly winning the ODI series 4-1, India prepares to take on New Zealand in the first of three T20I matches on February 6 in Wellington.
Team news
India has been extremely successful and will aim to continue their form in the last leg of their tour to the Southern Hemisphere.
This T20 series will see the comeback of former skipper MS Dhoni into the fold after he was rested for the series against the Windies at home. Middle order batsman and golden arm bowler, Kedar Jadhav is also in the squad. He has turned out to be a revelation for India with the ball as his sidearm drifters are yet to be decoded by the Kiwi batsmen.
Young Shubman Gill is also a part of the Indian contingent and although he was favourite to start in the team, it might be a little difficult given his failures in the last two ODI matches. Exciting left-hand batsman Rishabh Pant is also in the side and will look to make a statement with the World Cup in sight.
In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav is ranked 5th by the ICC in this format and in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, he and spin twin Yuzvendra Chahal will have added responsibility. The fact that Hardik Pandya is back in the squad will allow captain Rohit Sharma to play both the spinners together.
For New Zealand, a lot of new players will be seen along with established members Kane Williamson and India's nemesis, Ish Sodhi. The leg-spinner is ranked higher than Kuldeep in the ICC rankings at number 3.
The hosts have included two exciting talents in the squad, Daryl Mitchell and Blair Tickner. While Mitchell has hit 16 sixes, averaging 141 and scoring 281 runs in the domestic T20 tournament, Tickner has picked up 12 wickets in 7 games.
Probable XIs
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (WK), Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (WK), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed
Pitch and conditions
The match will be played in the same stadium and on the same pitch as the last ODI match between the two sides – at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. It is a drop-in pitch but since it is a T20 match, the pitch is not expected to get slower throughout the match. Although it was not easy to hit through the line on Sunday, a lot of runs will be on offer in Wednesday's game. The size of the ground is bigger than most in New Zealand and the spinners might enjoy the conditions.
Expect a typical New Zealand weather on Wednesday evening. The temperatures are expected to be hovering around 15 degree Celsius and strong winds will make the conditions very chilly and foreign for the Indian players. The sky is forecast to be cloudy although no rain is expected for the game.
