Indian fans all set for Ind-NZ first T20I at Eden Park
This is the first time that both teams will face each other since the World Cup semifinal.
Auckland: Indian spectators are all set for the thrilling encounter between India and New Zealand in the first T20I here at Eden Park on Friday.
India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Indian supporters arrive at the stadium to show their supports to Men in Blue. This is the first time that both teams will face each other since the World Cup semifinal.
India lost the semifinal against Kiwis by 18 runs which ended the former's run in the tournament.
India dropped Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Navdeep Saini from the playing XI. This means KL Rahul will keep the wickets for India.
Kiwis are hosting India for the five-match T20I series, followed by three-ODIs and two Tests. India recently won the home ODI series against Australia 2-1.
For the hosts, Hamish Bennett will make his debut in the shortest format of the game.
India's T20I squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur.
New Zealand T20I squad: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (capt), Ross Taylor, Tim Seifert (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, and Hamish Bennett.