India vs New Zealand, 2021: 1st T20I, Jaipur - Toss Report

Team India will begin its new era in T20I cricket when they host New Zealand in a 3-match T20I series beginning on November 17, Wednesday. The first of the three games will be played tonight at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Coming into the series on the back of a heartbreaking loss in the recently concluded T20 World Cup final, the Kiwis will be without their guiding light and primary batsman, Kane Williamson. He has decided to take a rest and prepare for the 2-match Test series instead.

New Zealand defeated India in their previous encounter in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. The Kiwis were too strong for Virat Kohli and co. on the night, restricting them to 110 before chasing the target down comfortably.

The star of the match, Daryl Mitchell, who is in great form, will be available for the game along with experienced campaigner, Martin Guptill. Devon Conway, who sustained a broken hand during the semifinal match against England, was ruled out of the series. Also missing will be fast bowler, Trent Boult, who was the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers in the recently concluded tournament.

On the other hand, India has also undergone certain changes in the backroom staff. Rahul Dravid was appointed as the new head coach after Ravi Shastri’s contract ran out last week. Kohli had also announced he would be stepping down as the T20I skipper and Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the regular captain.

The upcoming series will give the first look into how things will pan out under the new management. All-rounder Hardik Pandya was dropped from the squad and in his place, Venkatesh Iyer has been slotted in. There are a few fresh faces in the squad, including maiden call-ups for Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel.

The head-to-head is in the visitors’ favor, as they enjoy a 9-6 lead in T20I over the Men in Blue.

India vs New Zealand, 2021: 1st T20I, Jaipur – Toss Report

India win the toss and elect to field first against the Kiwis.

India vs New Zealand, 2021: 1st T20I, Jaipur – Playing XI Details:

India Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

New Zealand Playing XI:

Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (Wk), Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (C), Todd Astle, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Also Read – New Zealand Tour Of India 2021: Harbhajan Singh Predicts India To Win T20I Series 2-1