India begin T20 series against New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, with pitch in focus
India and New Zealand open their T20 series at Christchurch's Hagley Oval today, with the pitch the big question before the first match.
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The T20 series between India and New Zealand begins today at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The Indian team will want to challenge the hosts on their home ground and start the series with a win.
The biggest question before the match is whether the Christchurch pitch will favour the batters or give the fast bowlers a chance to show their strength.
The two countries will play five T20 internationals, five ODIs and two Tests. Both teams will try to take a lead by winning the first T20. Challenging New Zealand on their home ground will not be easy for India.
The Indian team comes into this match after a T20 series against the West Indies that ended level at 2-2. Its aim will be to build confidence with a good performance. Fans in India can watch the match at 12.30 today.
The Hagley Oval pitch is generally considered helpful for fast bowlers. Here, pace bowlers can trouble batters with their speed and bounce. Fast bowlers are expected to play a key role in this match too.
In such conditions, the team that wins the toss may choose to bowl first. Restricting the opposition to a low score and then chasing the target could be a useful strategy. However, the actual condition of the pitch will also depend on conditions on the day of the match. If the batters get past the early challenge, they too can play big innings. The weather is reported to be good.
The Indian squad includes Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
The New Zealand squad has Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne and Blair Tickner.
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