🏏India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I: JSCA Stadium Complex, Ranchi 🏏

🏏India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I: JSCA Stadium Complex, Ranchi 🏏

India and New Zealand go head-to-head in the first of three IT20s in Indore this evening. 

This opening game of the series gets underway at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.

A new venue, a different format and changes on both sides, but we expect New Zealand to once again struggle to keep up with India in these favourable home conditions. 

As we saw in the final ODI, the Black Caps will always fight to the end, but player for player, they are the weaker team. 

With the format switching from ODIs to IT20s, Hardik Pandya will captain the side with Suryakumar Yadav the vice-captain. 

For the T20I series, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are both not in the squad as they prepare for the Test series with Australia.

Although India will be without many key players, they have shown on many occasions that they are still capable of beating the best teams in this format. 

They will be very confident of going 1-0 up in this game. 

New Zealand suffered heavy defeats in all three ODIs and will still be without their experienced trio of Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee. It will be very hard for this New Zealand group to get a win.

India is currently placed at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, whereas New Zealand is placed at the fifth spot on the rankings.

India won three of their recent five T20I matches, while New Zealand managed to win just a single game of their recent five T20I games.

These two teams have played a few matches against each other in this format so far, where India won 12 matches while New Zealand managed to win just a single game. 

An exciting contest is anticipated here between the two teams once again.

This three-match T20I series feels oddly placed nine months before an ODI World Cup. ⭐️

Thanks for tag😃 go Ind

So, for every Virat Kohli who's been rested for the series, there's an eager Prithvi Shaw ready to come in and prove his mettle. 

Likewise, for every Mohammed Shami, there's a Shivam Mavi. And for every Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, there's a Finn Allen and Ben Lister simmering quietly on the sidelines. T

hat makes the three upcoming T20Is also a great opportunity for new captains Hardik Pandya and Mitchell Santner, who are seeking to build a squad and culture for the World Cup in 2024.

1st T20I Probable XIs:

India: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Finn Allan, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Dane Cleaver, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner

Pitch Report

It is not the easiest pitch to bat on but if the batters apply themselves properly then they could still post a total of 185+. Spinners and pace bowlers should both get some help from the surface.

Another version---

The pitch  is a batting-friendly surface and is expected to assist the batters once again here. Pacers might get some assistance toward the latter half of the match, while spinners will be crucial in the middle overs.

3rd version ???!!!!! 

The pitch at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi is a balanced pitch with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer. The team winning the toss may decide to bat or bowl, depending on the ground conditions today. 

Ranchi Weather Report

Clear skies with the humidity levels going above 70% in the second innings of the game. No rain with the temperature in the low 20s.

The temperature is expected to hover around 22 °C on the match day with 40% humidity and 8-10 km/hr wind speed. There are no chances of precipitation during the game.

In the three previous IT20s at this venue, two have been won by the team batting second. We predict both skippers to choose to field first.

Average 1st innings score:

The average first-innings score on this wicket is 160 runs.

Record of chasing Teams:

The team batting second has great records here. They have maintained a winning percentage of 60 on this ground.

Pace or Spin?

The venue is suited for both Pacers and Spinners alike.

What to expect: A whole lot of MS Dhoni t-shirts in the stands. 

Only three T20 Internationals have been hosted at this ground, with the last one being a rematch between India and NZ here in 2021. 

Tim Southee and Harshal Patel's cutters headlined the slow pitch on that occasion but India have played on much better pitches this season and something similar could be expected in Ranchi. 

Watch out for the big boundaries at this venue.The Indian team are likely to stick with the opening pair of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, which served them well recently against Sri Lanka. There's also Prithvi Shaw in the squad this time, having forced his way back with the sheer weight of runs at the domestic level, and how India try and bring him into the scheme of things will be something to keep an eye on. There's no Harshal Patel this time around, and the returning Kuldeep Yadav could challenge Yuzvendra Chahal's spot.

What they said:

"I'm so accustomed to bowling with the old ball, I don't feel like I need to practise a lot. That is why I always used to pick up the new ball (in the nets) and make sure whenever the opportunity comes and my team requires me to do that job" - Hardik Pandya on bowling with the new ball .

There's a marquee four-Test rubber against Australia knocking on the doors, which essentially will decide the finalists of the World Test Championship. 

But here we are, on the cusp of a series that feels like a finger food before the big meal but one which comes with the promise of opportunities - opportunities for both teams to look at players who are ready to take over, and for players to look at themselves after what could have been a jaded wait in the wings.

Thanks for the tag viswa

today no meetings i can enjoy fully....

hope india do well :P

A few players to watch for their proven records---

1. Suryakumar Ashok Yadav

   Suryakumar Yadav is a Batter and has an average of 80 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9 and is fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He is a top order batter, bats Right Handed. In the last 5 matches this player has scored 294 runs averaging 58.8 per match.

2. Ishan Pranav Kumar Pandey Kishan

   Ishan Kishan is a Wicket-Keeper and has an average of 42 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.9 and is a good to have player for your Fantasy Team. Ishan Kishan is a top order opening Left Handed Batter and also keeps wickets. In the recent 5 matches he has scored 86 runs averaging 17.2 per match.

3. Glenn Dominic Phillips

   Glenn Phillips is fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. This player has an average of 59 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.8. Glenn Phillips is a top order Right Handed Batter and also keeps wickets. In the recent 5 matches he has scored 151 runs at an average of 30.2 per match.

4. Arshdeep Singh --  Arshdeep Singh can be a good pick for your Dream11 Team. This player has an average of 59 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.7. Arshdeep Singh is a left-arm medium fast Bowler and in the recent 5 matches he has taken 3, 0, 4, 0, 0 wickets at an average of 1.4. This player has been very successful against this team, taking 4, 0 wickets in the recent matches  

5. Shivam Mavi is a Bowler and has an average of 53 match fantasy points in the last 3 games, a fantasy rating of 7.8 and is a good to have player for your Fantasy Team. Shivam Mavi is a right-arm fast medium Bowler and in the recent 5 matches he has taken 0, 0, 4, 0, 0 wickets at an average of 0.8.  

6. Lachlan Hammond FergusonLockie Ferguson can be a differential pick for your Dream11 Team. This player has an average of 44 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 6.7. Lockie Ferguson bowls right-arm fast and in the last 5 matches he has taken 6 wickets at an average of 1.2.

After whitewashing New Zealand in the ODI series, Team India now shift their focus on the three T20Is with a number of senior players being rested. 

Hardik Pandya has got the opportunity to lead the Men in Blue once again and there are some exciting players in the squad available for him. 

New Zealand will be led by Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Mitchell Santner, who takes over from stand-in skipper Tom Latham.

A few months ago, Gill was not being preferred in the T20I side. However, his impressive knocks in the ODI format has got the youngster a good chance to prove his worth in the shorter format as well. 

Notably, Gill played a crucial part in the Gujarat Titans' IPL 2022 winning season.