New Zealand vs India 2019: 3 things India must do to level the T20I series

India need to get their playing XI spot on

Rishabh Pant

One thing that drew attention in the first T20I at Wellington was the composition of India's playing XI. They went with three regular wicket-keepers in MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the playing XI. With more match practice the order of the day for MSD and DK ahead of the World Cup, their selections made sense.

But was Rishabh Pant required in the middle-order? Moreover, by picking him in the side, India went in with one bowler short. They banked on the Pandya brothers and Khaleel Ahmed to keep the runs in check which they failed to do.

With their batting going down all the way to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India must seriously consider leaving out either Rishabh Pant or Vijay Shankar to accommodate Kuldeep Yadav.

With Vijay Shankar impressing with the bat coupled with his ability to bowl a couple of decent overs, to get the perfect balance in their team, India should leave out Rishabh Pant for the remainder of the T20I series.