Rohit Sharma won the toss and India decided to bowl first in the first T20I against New Zealand.
India have included three specialist wicket-keepers in the playing XI as Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are all getting a game. The Pandya brothers will also be in India colours together for the first time.
The team sheet shows that Pant is likely to bat at No.3 in the batting order.
“We’re bowling first. We have had a good record chasing. Gives us another opportunity to see how well we can bat second,” said Rohit Sharma at the toss. “Looks like a good pitch, as we saw in the game earlier so we are looking to set a target. Like I said on the 5th ODI, we wanted to bat first as there was some moisture on the pitch and challenge our batsmen. We managed to get a win.”
Sharma added: “A lot of the guys who have played ODIs have gone back. A few guys like Rishabh and Krunal are back and we need to give them some chances, so it is important to give them a chance as well in the overseas conditions and see how they fare.”
NZ skipper Kane Williamson revealed that they too would have chosen to field first.
“We were looking to have a bowl, based on the wicket on the other night. It’s important to assess the conditions,” said Williamson after losing the toss. “Daryl Mitchell makes his debut today. Some regular faces, but the two missing out are Bracewell and Neesham. A new squad brings some freshness. Every time you get an opportunity to represent your country is a great one this is a great opportunity against a fantastic opposition so we are looking forward to a really good series ahead.”
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed.
NZ XI: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
