Team India will take on Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in the first of the three T20Is on Friday (November 18) at Wellington. Hardik Pandya has been named as the captain of the side for these T20Is while Shikhar Dhawan will be leading in the ODIs. India are coming into the series after a heartbreaking loss in the semi-finals to England in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2022. Four key players from that squad have taken a leave including captain Rohit Sharma, opener KL Rahul, star batter Virat Kohli and pacer Mohammed Shami. At the same time, this series will provide opportunities to a relatively young squad.
The likes of Umran Malik, Washington Sundar will have the chance to step up and guarantee their place in the side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had an average World Cup, will look ti improve as pressure builds on him with the likes of Umran included in the side. Not to forget, India need an all-out pacer who can bowl over 140 kph consistently and Umran is the front-runner to grab that spot. Hardik here has the chance to try something new, which is to play fearless cricket.
Preps _ for the T20I series opener! _ _#TeamIndia | #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/mfdNQxFhm1
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 16, 2022
New Zealand, on the other hand, will be quite confident heading into the series as they are a tough side to beat in their own conditions. Kane Williamson has had tough time in the middle and New Zealand Cricket may have their eyes set on him as his bad form needs to go away quickly. Kane as a three-format player for New Zealand will be interesting to watch in the next World Cup cycle.
Ahead of Thursday’s first T20I match between India and New Zealand, check all the livestreaming details below:
The first T20I match India vs New Zealand will begin at 12 pm IST.
The first T20I match India vs New Zealand will take place on November 18, Friday.
The first T20I match India vs New Zealand will be played at the Sky Stadium, Wellington.
The first T20I match India vs New Zealand will be televised on DD Sports in India.
The first T20I match India vs New Zealand will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video.