Days after a rain-hit draw against the West Indies at home led to the series ending in a 2-2 draw, a jetlagged India will take on a strong New Zealand in the first of five T20Is at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Thursday.
The side has managed just one training session in Christchurch, and the situation will feel uncomfortably familiar to Iyer. England then beat them as well and exposed their shortcomings on pitches with some spice. Bumrah and Hardik are missing again.
In his first assignment as captain, India landed in Ireland without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya and lost 0-2, their first defeat to the hosts in any format. Bumrah has been rested with the Test series in mind, while Hardik has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad in March, when India racked up 255 on their way to retaining the title at home.
Recalled pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to play, while a fit-again Varun Chakaravarthy could miss out if the team management opts for a third seamer in Prince Yadav. Conditions could also take some getting used to for the Iyer-led Indian team. Days have been pleasant with bright sunshine, but it is expected to turn chilly by the 8pm start time, and fresh early-season pitches could offer something to the seamers. Dew may also tempt captains to opt to chase. Where to watch: The match will be shown live on the Sony Sports Network channels on TV, and live streaming is available on the Sony LIV app and website. India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Devon Conway (wk), Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Bevon Jacobs, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, and Blair Tickner.
