The first T20I of the bilateral series between India and New Zealand will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday at 7:30 PM IST.
After an early exit from the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India will be looking for a fresh start in the shortest format of the game. Rohit Sharma will be in charge of the T20I format after Virat Kohli decided to step down from the captaincy after the T20 World Cup. The legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid will be replacing Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the team. The Indian team led by a new captain will adapt a new template beginning from the bilateral series against the Blackcaps.
New Zealand is going through a hectic schedule, after finishing their T20 World Cup campaign on Sunday, the Kiwis will lock horns with the Men in Blue in India. Tim Southee will be the in-charge of the team in the absence of Kane Williamson for the T20I series. After fumbling in the final frontier of the marquee ICC T20 tournament against Australia, the World Test Champions will aim to bounce back in the upcoming series. The experience of the New Zealand players in the IPL will help them get accustomed to the Indian pitches quickly.
Head-to-head:
New Zealand has a slight edge over the hosts in the head-to-head competition in the shortest format. The two teams have faced each other on 18 occasions, the visitors have won nine fixtures, while India emerged victorious on eight occasions.
The last outing between the two teams in the shortest format took place in the T20 World Cup 2021. The Kiwis beat the Indians single-handedly by eight wickets in the Super 12 Group stage.
Sponsors:
BYJU’s, Dream11, Maruti Suzuki, Kamala Pasand, and Dhani as “co-presenting” sponsors, and Aakash (BYJU’s), MakeMyTrip, WhiteHat Jr and learning as ‘associate’ sponsors.
TV and LIVE streaming details:
OTT- Disney+ Hotstar