The Jungle Safari is all-set to take its course towards the land of the Kiwis. Yes, it’s going to be the Blackcaps v/s The Men in Blue in a rare 5 match T20I series starting on Friday at the beautiful ground of Auckland. While New Zealand has always had an edge over India, Kane & Co. are still struggling with their ace pacers out of the squad owing to various injuries. Will this be the slight window India might be looking at or will the windy venues take the game away?
Also Read : India vs New Zealand ODI Series
Venue & Time
The 1st T20I begins on Friday 12:30pm at the Eden Park, Auckland.
Pitch & Conditions
While the Eden Park is a bouncy track with short boundaries, the visitors will be up against the windy conditions at New Zealand. The movement in the pitch will be the only challenge for the power-packed Indian batting-line up that has recently found a balance in the squad. The temperature in Auckland will be around 17-25 degrees so we will be in for a pleasant day of cricket.
Squads
India: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini & Washington Sundar
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (C), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Bruce, Daryll Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (WK), Hamish Bennet, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner
Head-To-Head
The hosts are clear winners in this case as the Kiwis have defeated India 8 out of 12 times they’ve met on the field. 3 have been won by India while one-odd game got abandoned due to rain. This series might turn the tables because India are coming from a huge victory against a tough side like Australia while New Zealand are a bit low on their game after their defeat against the same opponent.
Playing 11 Updates
While Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out due to injury, we’ll see KL Rahul back up at the opening spot with Rohit Sharma. Sanju Samson is back in the side but his call up for the T20 is a little lower than expected. Manish Pandey will be in the side as an extra batting option as KL Rahul will keep wickets. For New Zealand, their quickies in Trent Boult, Mark Henry & Lockie Ferguson will be out of the tournament owing to their respective injuries.
The grounds here at New Zealand are small so it’ll be a tough call to include another spinner with Ish Sodi in the 11. However, India are still longing to play the Kul-Cha combo together post their World Cup campaign. Stay tuned for the playing 11 updates on India vs New Zealand on one of the best fantasy sports app; BalleBaazi.
Fantasy Picks for India v/s New Zealand 1st T20I
Looking at the conditions in New Zealand, this is going to be our BalleBaazi Playing 11 for the match:
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (C), Ross Taylor(VC), KL Rahul, Kane Williamson, Ravindra Jadeja, Ish Sodhi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami & Tim Southee.
Prediction
The hosts have had a very bad record at the Eden Park, although Martin Guptill does have fond memories of his 105 back in the days. The game is going to be a high-scoring one with Virat Kohli emerging yet again as the biggest chase master of all times. We are backing India to begin their campaign with a win at the Eden Park tonight.
While India take on the Kiwis, you continue your fantasy cricket journey with amazing offers and BalleBaazi codes coming your way as India travels to New Zealand for a long tour of T20Is, ODIs & Tests. Use code START100 if you are depositing for the first time to get a 100% bonus on your money. Stay tuned for the fantasy tips and tricks for the 1st T20 in the India vs New Zealand contest and make sure you play fantasy cricket on one of the best fantasy sports apps in India, BalleBaazi.com. Start making your teams and earn real cash up to 15 lakhs.
Loved the Blog? Let us know in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to Download the BalleBaazi App now for the Most Amazing Fantasy Sports Experience. Lots of Winnings & Offers for you to Cash In on!
