India vs New Zealand 1st T20: New Zealand Win Toss, Bowl First; Ishan Kishan Named in India’s Playing 11

Suryakumar Yadav-led India and Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand are all set to lock horns versus each other in the opening match of the IDFC FIRST BANK T20-International series at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium.

This five-match series is going to the Men in Blue’s final preparatory exam before the commencement of their 20-20 World Cup title defence from the 7^th of February. It’s worth noting that both India & New Zealand have suffered with injuries to their important team members.

Talking about the toss, Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Rinku Singh & Ishan Kishan are back in Team India’s Starting 11

India’s Twenty-Twenty skipper Suryakumar Yadav, announced that wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan will be a part of the team and will be batting at the number three spot one day before the 1^st T20. Meanwhile, the two-time t20 world cup winners have also included swashbuckling batter Rinku Singh in the playing 11.

India's confirmed lineup

New Zealand's confirmed lineup

Nagpur’s Pitch-Report and Telecast information

The surface of Nagpur’s VCA Ground is well known for having a balanced-nature, providing early assistance to the batsmen while also proving to be favorable for the spin bowlers as the match progresses.

The pitch containing red-soil offers good speed & bounce, allowing the seamers to get movement with the new ball and trouble the batsmen.

Talking about the telecast information, Cricket lovers can tune into the Star Sports 1 Hindi SD+HD & Star Sports 2 SD+HD Channels to enjoy the live action of the 1^st T20. They can also stream the match on the website & application of Jio Hotstar.

A review of the head-2-head statistics

India has emerged victorious fourteen times out of the twenty-five 20-20 Internationals between the two teams, according to the data of ESPN. Two Super Overs victories are included in this total. New Zealand, meanwhile, has won ten games, one of which ended in a Tie.

Captain Surya’s form with the bat is a cause of concern for the Defending T20 World Cup Champions

The batting form of the Men in Blue’s skipper Suryakumar Yadav has not been good since the last two years and the team management would like him to get back in his groove ahead of the highly anticipated Men’s T20 WC. It’s worth noting that SKY hasn’t registered a single half-century since November of 2024. Ahead of the New Zealand series, the 35-year-old has averaged just 13.52 with a poor strike-rate of 121.16 in the shortest format of the game.

NEW WORLD NO. 1: Daryl Mitchell Dethrones Virat Kohli to Top ICC ODI Batting Rankings