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After a rather successful home season, Team India travel to New Zealand for a full-fledged away tour including five T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches. India will be involved in a five-match T20I series to start off the proceedings on their first away tour in 2020.
The ‘Men in Blue' will gather confidence from their past record against New Zealand on their last tour in the country. The visitors emerged victoriously in the ODI series before losing out a closely fought T20I series in 2019. However, with an eye over the T20 World Cup later this year, Virat Kohli and co. would hope to tick a few boxes in regards to their preparations for the mega-event in Australia.
On the other hand, New Zealand will hope to keep aside the disappointment from their tour down under, where they were thrashed convincingly. A rejuvenated Kiwi side will pose a tough challenge against a dominant Indian outfit. If both the teams perform to their potential, the tussle between the No.5 and No.6 ranked T20I side will ensure definite riveting cricket action on the field.
Ahead of the first T20I, here's a look at Match Prediction, Team News, Playing XIs and fantasy Picks for New Zealand vs India Dream11 cricket match:
Match Details:
First New Zealand vs India T20I will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on January 24. The match begins at 7:50 PM local time (12;20 PM IST / 6:50 AM GMT). In India, the live coverage will run on the Star Sports network.
Team News:
India: The tourists don't fancy any injury concerns in their camp. Shikhar Dhawan who was already ruled out of the New Zealand tour will be replaced by Sanju Samson for the T20Is. All the other players are ready and available for selection for the first T20I.
New Zealand: After a series of injuries that hit New Zealand during Australia tour, fortunately, all the players were deemed available for selection on the eve of the first T20I against India at Eden Park.
Both the team will want to field their best XI considering the nature of the pitch and the unusual ground dimensions at Eden Park.
Predicted Playing XIs:
India
Virat Kohli might not be a concerned man when he picks his playing XI for the first T20I. Most of the players pick themselves based upon their current form. KL Rahul is likely to open along with Rohit Sharma. Kohli might only have to answer the question regarding his combination of playing six bowlers or India's recent liking towards playing only five frontline bowlers.
India's Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand
Kane Williamson and co. have faced major issues with their under-firing top order. The likely opening duo of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro haven't attained the best of success against India in the recent past. Williamson might have to trust his experienced guys to deliver against one of the top teams in the world.
New Zealand's Playing XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Tim Seifert (wk), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Scott Kuggeleijn
Dream11 Top Fantasy Picks for NZ vs IND:
Indian top-order with the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, is in sublime form. The trio will definitely find a place in any Dream11 Fantasy cricket playing XI involving India. Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami have produced the performances in T20Is and their inclusion in a Fantasy XI is a no-brainer.
New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Tim Siefert has done immensely well in T20Is playing for BlackCaps. The batter has the game to explode at any given moment in the game. All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme and experienced duo of Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor will be expected to come good against India in the first T20I.
Dream11 Match Prediction:
Both the teams have produced thrillers in their past meetings. While New Zealand is playing at home, India will still have the upper hand due to better personnel in their ranks. India would be expected to win the first T20I.
