India’s white-ball opening prospect Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of the series as he complained of wrist pain just a day before the start of the contest. The hosts haven’t asked for any replacement and are likely to stick with the opening pair of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, which served them well in recent T20I series against Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, left-arm fast bowler Ben Lister could be making his debut for the Blackcaps. He was selected in the squad to fill the gap created by veteran pacer Trent Boult, who is currently plying his trade for MI Emirates in the International League T20 (ILT20). Also, in-form all-rounder Michael Bracewell will be a shoo-in for the T20Is against the Men in Blue.
Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand in the absence of regular skipper Kane Williamson.
Head-to-head record
Played: 22 | India won: 12 | New Zealand won: 09 | Tied: 01
Fixtures of the T20I series
- 1st T20I: January 27 – JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
- 2nd T20I: January 29 – Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
- 3rd T20I: February 01 – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
*All three matches will start at 7:00 pm IST/ 01:30 PM GMT.
TV channels and live streaming details
- India: Star Sports, DD Sports; Disney+Hotstar
- New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ
- Australia: Kayo Sports
- Bangladesh: Gazi TV, Rabbithole
- Pakistan: PTV & ARY Digital Networks
- USA: Willow
- Canada: Willow
- United Kingdom: Sky Sports
- Sub Saharan Africa: SuperSport
- Caribbean: ESPN
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