India’s next assignment in the white-ball series will be beginning right after the 20-20 World Cup as the Men in Blue will travel to New Zealand for a three-match T20I series which will be followed by a three-match ODI series. The T20I series is scheduled to begin on Friday, November 18 and will be played at Wellington, Mount Maunganui and Napier respectively.
In the absence of all the senior players, Hardik Pandya will be in charge of a relatively young Indian team in the tournament. After missing out on the 20-20 World Cup 2022, the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Washington Sundar are back in the squad while the exclusion of Prithvi Shaw, Umesh Yadav and Dinesh Karthik has raised some speculations.
Meanwhile, it will be a very crucial tournament for captain Hardik Pandya. He is considered to be India’s next white-ball captain and thus, against New Zealand, his captaincy skill will be very much tested.
When it comes to the Black Caps, the Kane Williamson-led side will be desperate to get a win over the Men in Blue. It is likely that the team will give time off to some of their key players in the T20I series. Their bowlers will have a tough challenge in hand but in their home conditions, can prove to be extremely dangerous.
Squad
India
Hardik Pandya (C), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
New Zealand – Not yet announced
Probable Playing XI
India
Players who were not part of the 20-20 World Cup will be gearing up to prove themselves in the T20I series. Thus, India are going to be an extremely dangerous side in the series.
Playing XI: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel / Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
NZ vs IND Head to Head
Played- 20 | New Zealand- 9 | Pakistan- 9
