IND vs NZ: The opening T20I of a three-match series between Hardik Pandya’s Indian team and Kane Williamson’s New Zealand will take place in Wellington on Friday (November 18). In the recently finished ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinals, both countries suffered heartbreaking losses. Aside from the disappointment of missing out on the finale match, both teams hope to get off to a fresh start in the opening T20I match of the series, which will be followed by three ODIs.
Young guns to play today in IND vs NZ encounter
The BCCI has chosen a very exciting team for this series, resting players like usual skipper Rohit Sharma, his backup KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Mohammed Shami for this white-ball assignment. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant will captain the team in their absence.
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As far as the Kiwis are concerned, they have chosen a nearly full-strength team for the match. Only Trent Boult and Martin Guptill are not taken into squad. In none of the team’s six T20 World Cup games, Guptill, the all-time highest run scorer for New Zealand in T20 Internationals, was selected to the starting XI.
What is the weather forecast for IND vs NZ?
The series opener at Sky Stadium will undoubtedly be thrilling with such skilled players on both sides, but only if the weather cooperates. The match on Friday, November 18, is anticipated to be hampered by the high likelihood of rain in New Zealand’s capital city.
As per the reports, at the time of start (7:30 PM local time), there are 81% possibilities of rain, which will drop to 70% in the following two hours. However, as rain is expected throughout the entire evening, there are very little possibilities that a full 40-over game will be played. It might be a rain-delayed game with a delayed start.
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What is the head-to-head record?
The Sky Stadium’s pitch is a batting haven, so if the match happens, spectators should get ready for an entertaining duel between the two star-studded teams. In the 20 international games that have been played between the two so far, India has won 11 of them while New Zealand has only triumphed in 9.
India T20I Squad
Hardik Pandya (C), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Mo. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik
New Zealand T20I Squad
Kane Williamson (Captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner.
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