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New Zealand just had a very disappointing loss at the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021 against Australia. Just a couple of days later now, they will play a three-match T20I series against India in India, starting Wednesday. The T20I series will be succeeded by a two-match Test series, starting on November 25.
The first T20I will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur today (November 17). Ranchi will be the host of the following encounter on November 19. The caravan will then move further east to Kolkata, where the third and final T20I will be played on November 21.
Aside from three changes, the New Zealand T20I squad for the Indian tour will be the same as their T20 World Cup 2021 squad.
With Kane Williamson opting to miss the white-ball series in order to prepare for the Test series, Tim Southee will captain the Kiwi unit.
Devon Conway, the explosive left-hander, was ruled out for the T20 World Cup 2021 final. He will miss out on the New Zealand tour to India as well, pertaining to a self-inflicted broken hand.
Right-arm speedster Lockie Ferguson will make a comeback from a calf-strain injury. This will bolster the Kiwis' already-stately pace unit.
New Zealand's T20I squad for the India series: Tim Southee (captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert and Ish Sodhi
Here is New Zealand's strongest playing XI for the T20I series against India.
Openers: Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wk)
The opening pair of Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell were extremely successful for the Kiwi unit during the T20 World Cup 2021. However, with the team being without the services of skipper Kane Williamson, might force them to alter in their batting order.
Tim Siefert, an explosive opening batter, can partner up with the best Kiwi batter in their squad, Martin Guptill, to open the batting.
Guptill, who is an enigmatic stroke-maker, has been one of the mainstays in the New Zealand white-ball line-up. He is coming on the back of a decent T20 World Cup. The right-hander has scored the most T20I runs for the Black Caps with 3147 runs in 105 innings.
Tim Siefert replaced Devon Conway in the finals of the T20 World Cup and also kept wickets for his side. The 27-year-old is a special T20 talent and even has enough experience to play in the format. He has featured regularly in various franchise cricket leagues around the world. Having as many as five half-centuries to his name for New Zealand, Siefert can push Daryl Mitchell to fill in for Kane Williamson.
Middle order: Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman
It is fair to say that without the services of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the middle order of New Zealand isn't looking convincingly assured.
Kiwis' semi-final hero Daryl Mitchell, can play in Williamson's position at No.3. He can even provide the batting unit with stability, courtesy of his terrific current form. His knock of 72* against England could give Kiwi coach Gary Stead reassurance of Mitchell's ability to build up an innings.
Glenn Phillips, who played every encounter for New Zealand in the T20 World Cup, is likely to remain in the side and bat at number four. With a strike-rate of almost 142, Phillips also has a T20I century to his name for New Zealand which came against West Indies in 2020.
Having played U-19 cricket for Hong Kong, the talented Mark Chapman is likely to replace Kane Williamson in the starting XI. Holding a dual passport, Chapman was eligible to play for New Zealand and made his debut for the Black Caps in 2018. The left-hander was even part of the New Zealand vs India series in New Zealand in 2020.
All-rounders: Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner
Jimmy Neesham, who operates at a massive strike-rate of 160 in T20Is, has delivered impactful knocks for his side several times. With more than a decent individual T20 World Cup campaign, Neesham will be itching to do well in an inexperienced batting unit against India.
Being a like-for-like replacement for Kiwi veteran Daniel Vettori, Mitchell Santner has proved his worth over the past couple of years. He has become a regular starter for the Blackcaps. A more than handy left-arm orthodox spinner, Santner has troubled Indian batters in the past and will be eager to do the same.
Bowlers: Tim Southee (C), Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi
New Zealand's most consistent bowler in all formats over the years, Tim Southee, has been chosen to captain the Kiwi unit for the India T20 series.
Southee, who has captained New Zealand a few times in the past, will look to lead the Black Caps in rebounding their loss to Australia in the finals. He is also the leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in the T20Is.
Trent Boult, who will feature in the T20I series, will miss the two-match Test series against India. His left-arm pace will be crucial against the Indian batters upfront, who have a trend of being dismissed against left-arm quicks. The 32-year-old comes on the back of an excellent T20 World Cup, scalping the most wickets for a Kiwi bowler with 13.
Lockie Ferguson missed the T20 World Cup in the UAE due to a calf injury. The right-arm speedster, who had a terrific second half of the IPL 2020 for Kolkata Knight Riders, is likely to replace Adam Milne in the side.
Ferguson has a knack for bowling wicket-taking deliveries and has also built up a reputation for being successful in the middle overs. If not fit enough, New Zealand can also try Kyle Jamieson for the T20I set-up.
Right arm leg-spinner Ish Sodhi loves playing against the Men in Blue. In his 13 T20I matches against India, the tall leggie has scalped as many as 19 wickets to his name. He was also the player of the match when the two teams played against each other last time in the T20 World Cup 2021.
If the World Test champions have to have a successful T20 series against India, they will largely be dependent on Sodhi to deliver.
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