India vs New Zealand: Visitors look to carry winning momentum into T20Is

Image credit:Twitter/@BCCI

Having sealed a five-match ODI series against New Zealand by a 4-1 margin, India will look to continue their momentum when they take on the Kane Williamson-led side in the three-match T20I series, beginning at the Westpac Stadium on Wednesday.

India will be without their regular skipper Virat Kohli, who was rested for the last two ODIs and the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand as a part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) workload management. 

Rohit Sharma, who led the Men in Blue in Kohli's absence in the last two ODIs, will continue to lead the charge and look to record their maiden T20I series win in New Zealand. 

India had outplayed the hosts in all the departments in the first three ODIs before they slumped to a humiliating eight-wicket defeat in Hamilton. However, they bounced back in style to register a 35-run win in the fifth and final match in Wellington to claim the series.

Earlier on Tuesday, opener Shikhar Dhawan had said that India would look to end the tour on a high and carry on the momentum back home for the series against Australia later this month. 

"We too are humans and our bodies need a bit of rest. Of course, we would be looking to win the series and carry the momentum back home for the Australia series," Dhawan had said.

As far as squads are concerned, former skipper and wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni--who played his last T20I match in July--has been recalled into the national squad for the upcoming series. 

While the visitors will also miss the services of rested pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack alongside Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammad Siraj, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

For New Zealand, opener Martin Guptill has been ruled out after failing to recover fully from a back injury, which he sustained while throwing a ball during a training session on Saturday ahead of the final ODI. 

As a result, all-rounder Jimmy Neesham has been added to the squad as a replacement for Guptill for the opening T20I against India at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday.

Neesham seemed to have got the nod for the upcoming series against the Men in Blue on the back of his recent ODI performances. 

While spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner have also been added in the New Zealand squad, wicketkeeper  Tim Seifert is likely to open the batting alongside Colin Munro in Guptill's absence. 

The two squads are as follows:

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Siraj. 

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, James Neesham.