India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I, Live Score: India win toss, opt to bowl
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Feb 6, 2019, 12:09 ISTHighlights
- Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl. He continues to lead India in the absence of rested Virat Kohli.
- India had beaten the hosts 4-1 in the ODI series.
- Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant returns to India's squad with allrounder Krunal Pandya.
File image of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (AFP Photo)PLAYING XIs
LIVE SCORECARD | LIVE BLOG
INDIA: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed
NEW ZEALAND: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
12:02 pm Rohit Sharma wins the toss and India decide to bowl first. NZ include debutant Daryl Mitchel.
TEAM NEWS: India include all three wicketkeeper-batsmen -- Dhoni, Karthik and Pant -- in the eleven.
11:50 am Good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you are in the world! We are back here at Timesofindia.com to bring you some 'fatafat' cricket as India begin their final leg of the New Zealand tour with the first game of the three-match T20I series today.
The setting is Wellington, the capital of New Zealand; and the Indian team's 4-1 win in the ODI series makes them the overwhelming favourites.
For the record, India are ranked No. 2 in ICC's T20I Rankings and New Zealand are in the lower half of the pack at No. 6.
Virat Kohli will remain missing from the scene as he continues to be on a well-deserved break, with Rohit Sharma leading the team as he did for the last two matches of the ODI series.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant returns to India's squad with allrounder Krunal Pandya.
The toss is scheduled for 12 noon IST, with 12:30 pm as the start time. Stay tuned for the all the updates.
Until then, whet your appetite with:
Match Preview
They have hit the homestretch of a memorable three-month tour and a rampant India will be fancying another series win when they clash with under pressure hosts New Zealand in the opening T20 International on
Wednesday.
While regular skipper Virat Kohli is getting the much-needed rest, the Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it has enough left in the tank to record a maiden T20 series win in New Zealand, following a record 4-1 result in ODIs and a historic tour of Australia.
"We too are humans and our bodies need a bit of rest. Of course, we would be looking to the win the series and carry the momentum back home for the Australia series," opener Shikhar Dhawan said on the eve of the game.
The preceding ODI series solved a part of the puzzle as India look to finalise their 15 for the World Cup. But there are still a few spots up for grabs and the T20 series can help the team management zero in on the squad for the mega event in England in May-July.
Young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who was not part of the ODIs, returns hungrier and has a big opportunity to stake a claim for a World Cup spot in the upcoming three T20s.
Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back in the T20 mix after being omitted from the series against Australia last year and his performance will also be keenly followed. He last played a T20 in July.
Following the high of the Test series Down Under, another stellar showing might just convince the selectors to include Pant in the final-15.
The series is also an opportunity for Dinesh Karthik, who has done well as a finisher but is still not a sure starter in the eleven. Ambati Rayudu grabbed his chance with a match-winning 90 in the fifth ODI, probably enough to seal a place in the middle-order.
Nineteen-year-old Shubman Gill showed glimpses of his much talked about talent in the final two ODIs but did not allow himself to settle in his debut series. In Kohli's absence, he might get to bat at number three again.
Besides Pant, the others who have joined the team are spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya and Punjab pacer Siddharth Kaul.
In the absence of seniors like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed have not made much of an impact and they will be aiming for a breakthrough performance.
Dhawan did not do well in the last three ODIs against New Zealand and is eager to finish the tour on a high.
Ahead of the game, he was also seen practising with a tennis ball to counter the bounce and swing generated by the home team's pacers.
New Zealand will be desperate to turn things around after a 1-4 drubbing. They do hold an upper hand over India in the shortest format. They beat India 2-0 in the 2008-09 in the sole bilateral series played on New Zealand soil till date.
The Black Caps edged the sub-continental side 1-0 in a two-match away series in 2012 before losing 1-2 in India in 2017-18.
The ball swung initially at the Westpac Stadium on Sunday and New Zealand pacers will be itching to exploit that but they won't have the services of premier fast bowler Trent Boult, who has been rested.
It will be interesting to see what rookie all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner do in their debut series.
LIVE SCORECARD | LIVE BLOG
INDIA: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed
NEW ZEALAND: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
12:02 pm Rohit Sharma wins the toss and India decide to bowl first. NZ include debutant Daryl Mitchel.
TEAM NEWS: India include all three wicketkeeper-batsmen -- Dhoni, Karthik and Pant -- in the eleven.
11:50 am Good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you are in the world! We are back here at Timesofindia.com to bring you some 'fatafat' cricket as India begin their final leg of the New Zealand tour with the first game of the three-match T20I series today.
The setting is Wellington, the capital of New Zealand; and the Indian team's 4-1 win in the ODI series makes them the overwhelming favourites.
For the record, India are ranked No. 2 in ICC's T20I Rankings and New Zealand are in the lower half of the pack at No. 6.
Virat Kohli will remain missing from the scene as he continues to be on a well-deserved break, with Rohit Sharma leading the team as he did for the last two matches of the ODI series.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant returns to India's squad with allrounder Krunal Pandya.
The toss is scheduled for 12 noon IST, with 12:30 pm as the start time. Stay tuned for the all the updates.
Until then, whet your appetite with:
Match Preview
They have hit the homestretch of a memorable three-month tour and a rampant India will be fancying another series win when they clash with under pressure hosts New Zealand in the opening T20 International on
Wednesday.
While regular skipper Virat Kohli is getting the much-needed rest, the Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it has enough left in the tank to record a maiden T20 series win in New Zealand, following a record 4-1 result in ODIs and a historic tour of Australia.
"We too are humans and our bodies need a bit of rest. Of course, we would be looking to the win the series and carry the momentum back home for the Australia series," opener Shikhar Dhawan said on the eve of the game.
The preceding ODI series solved a part of the puzzle as India look to finalise their 15 for the World Cup. But there are still a few spots up for grabs and the T20 series can help the team management zero in on the squad for the mega event in England in May-July.
Young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who was not part of the ODIs, returns hungrier and has a big opportunity to stake a claim for a World Cup spot in the upcoming three T20s.
Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back in the T20 mix after being omitted from the series against Australia last year and his performance will also be keenly followed. He last played a T20 in July.
Following the high of the Test series Down Under, another stellar showing might just convince the selectors to include Pant in the final-15.
The series is also an opportunity for Dinesh Karthik, who has done well as a finisher but is still not a sure starter in the eleven. Ambati Rayudu grabbed his chance with a match-winning 90 in the fifth ODI, probably enough to seal a place in the middle-order.
Nineteen-year-old Shubman Gill showed glimpses of his much talked about talent in the final two ODIs but did not allow himself to settle in his debut series. In Kohli's absence, he might get to bat at number three again.
Besides Pant, the others who have joined the team are spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya and Punjab pacer Siddharth Kaul.
In the absence of seniors like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed have not made much of an impact and they will be aiming for a breakthrough performance.
Dhawan did not do well in the last three ODIs against New Zealand and is eager to finish the tour on a high.
Ahead of the game, he was also seen practising with a tennis ball to counter the bounce and swing generated by the home team's pacers.
New Zealand will be desperate to turn things around after a 1-4 drubbing. They do hold an upper hand over India in the shortest format. They beat India 2-0 in the 2008-09 in the sole bilateral series played on New Zealand soil till date.
The Black Caps edged the sub-continental side 1-0 in a two-match away series in 2012 before losing 1-2 in India in 2017-18.
The ball swung initially at the Westpac Stadium on Sunday and New Zealand pacers will be itching to exploit that but they won't have the services of premier fast bowler Trent Boult, who has been rested.
It will be interesting to see what rookie all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner do in their debut series.
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