The first T20 International between India and New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.

The toss was scheduled to take place at 11.30 am IST, with the match to start at 12 pm, but the pitch remained covered throughout as rain continued to pour.

There are two more T20Is scheduled in the series – at Mount Maunganui on Sunday and at Napier on Tuesday – with a three-match ODI series to follow.

Hardik Pandya is leading the Indian team for the T20I series against New Zealand, with senior players from the World Cup squad like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik and R Ashwin not in the squad. VVS Laxman, chief of India’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, is the head coach in place of Rahul Dravid.

The teams are back in action after their respective semifinal defeats at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.