IND vs NZ 1st T20I Preview: Selection dilemmas and short prep test India ahead of marquee series

India will play New Zealand in the first of five T20Is on Thursday (Oct 22) in Christchurch, just days after they played West Indies in the T20I series decider in Bengaluru. Jetlagged and running around since defending their Asian Games gold in Japan, the Men in Blue have now reached the other end of the globe to feature in the marquee series. Shreyas Iyer and his top-notch Indian Team will aim to repeat the past heroics, but have a few selection headaches before the action gets underway.

Match Preview

India’s full tour of New Zealand will get underway with the five-match T20I series before the action moves to 50-over cricket and ends with the WTC-bound two Tests.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was tipped to be in action during the series, but Iyer indicated that India will likely continue with their regular T20I openers, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. The batting order is unlikely to see major changes, with Ishan Kishan, Iyer and Tilak Varma comprising the middle order.

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Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and either Naman Dhir or Nitish Kumar Reddy will likely take up the finisher's role.

With no Jasprit Bumrah around, ace seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack, with Arshdeep Singh sharing the new ball with him. With Varun Chakravarthy recalled for the T20Is, Iyer would have to pick between him and Kuldeep Yadav for the series opener.

On the other hand, New Zealand have racked up match winners in their squad for the India T20Is. Starting at the top, Finn Allen will pair up with fellow T20 specialist Tim Seifert, with Devon Conway likely to bat at three. Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell will comprise the middle order, before captain Mitchell Santner bridges the gap between the batters and the tailenders.

The hosts are likely to play four quicks, with lanky seamer Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith and Lockie Ferguson.

Predicted Playing XIs of both teams –

India – Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand - Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson