India vs NZ Live: New Zealand set India 220 to win
INDIA INNINGS (Target: 220)
2.2 Overs: OUT! Southee gets a wicket as he dismisses Rohit Sharma for just 1. That's a big setback for India chasing 220 to win. It's 18/1.
End of Over 2: Closs call for Dhawan, but it's a SIX for him and India in the end. The left-hander picked Kuggeleijn off his legs and the ball went through the leaping hands of the boundary rider at deep fine-leg. The next ball was almost a replay, but this time a little finer for another SIX. And then a pull-cum-hook for four as the bowler pitched a little short to compensate his length. 18/0
End of Over 1: Brilliant start by Tim Southee. Just a single off the first six balls. 1/0
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are out to open for India as Tim Southee marks his run-up.
NEW ZEALAND INNINGS
End of Over 20: New Zealand finish with 219/6, which is a record T20I score in Wellington. Tim Seifert the top-scorer with 84.
India haven't conceded a 200+ total in more than two years. Last was WI's 245 in Lauderhill in August 2016. #NZvInd
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) 1549441594000
End of Over 19: Scott Kuggeleijn takes a liking to Bhuvi straight away - two fours and stunning six to end the over. 200 up for the Kiwis. 207/6
17.5 Overs: Beautifully judged catch by substitute Mohammed Siraj to dismiss Colin de Grandhomme (3). 189/5
Karthik puts down another one to let off Taylor.
End of Over 17: Taylor joins in the six-hitting blitz with a stunning aerial shot over sweeper cover off Bhuvneshwar. 180/4
15.1 Overs: Out! Chahal strikes. Williamson (34 off 22) hits it straight to Pandya. 164/4
End of Over 15: Outstanding from Dinesh Karthik, and we have one of those brilliant stunners on the boundary as DK catches the ball, throws it back up in the air and dives to return into the playing area to catch it again. Daryl Mitchell (8) walks back dejected. Before that, skipper Williamson (34* off 21) packed a punch depositing Hardik into the stands for two back-to-back sixes. 164/3
End of Over 14: Debutant Mitchell (5* off 3) has joined skipper Williamson (21* 0ff 18) with 36 balls left in the innings. 146/2
12.4 Overs: Wicket! Effective yorker from Khaleel cleans up Tim Seifert for 84 off 43 balls. But the Kiwis, at 134/2, still looking good to cross 200.
End of Over 12: Chahal completes his second over, and an expensive one. One four and one six in total 13 runs. Seifert, at 84*, nears century. NZ 127/1
Wow, this Tim Seifert can bat!
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 1549439383000
End of Over 11: Dropped! Karthik puts down Seifert on 71 after he hit Krunal for two consecutive sixes in the same over. That could prove crucial and very, very expensive the way he is batting. 114/1
End of Over 9: OUT! Some relief for India. After Seifert got to his fifty, his partner Munro (34 off 20) falls soon after trying to go for a biggie. Krunal the wicket-taker. 88/1.
End of Over 8: Boundaries continue off Seifert's bat as he first gets an edgy boundary past Dhoni and then hits a pick-up SIX next ball. 85/0
End of Over 7: Decent over from Krunal Pandya, though still eight runs for the NZ openers, including a boundary. 74/0.
End of Over 6: Another big over for the Kiwis as Siefert (33* off 20) gets stuck into Hardik, hitting two boundaries. Twelve runs off the over to end the Powerplay.
Double change by India as Krunal's brother, Hardik Pandya, is also pressed into service.
End of Over 5: New Zealand's fifty comes up in 4.4 overs off another SIX Siefert's bat to welcome Krunal on the crease. 54/0
Rohit makes first change, Krunal Pandya into the attack.
End of Over 4: Khaleel being taken apart here. Munro (29* off 13) smashes him for two consecutive sixes - first over deep mid-wicket, then over deep point. 16 runs off that over. NZ 44/0.
I pop in to a recording and India lose 9 wickets in the women's international. I slip out of the studio to record a… https://t.co/zavGGLEKm8
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 1549437639000
End of Over 3: Siefert (12* off 8) was more of a spectator until that pick-up SIX of Bhuvneshwar between mid-wicket and long-on, followed up by a boundary straight back past the bowler. 28/0
End of Over 2: The first boundary comes off the bat of Colin Munro as he lifts Khaleel Ahmed straight back. Looks like the Kiwis have come pre-decided about who they want to target. But Khaleel comes back with good variation, including a slower ball that foxed Munro. 13/0
End of Over 1: Impressive first over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, just four runs off it. NZ 4/0.
12:28 pm: The National Anthems have just been sung and we are minutes away from the start. Tim Siefert and Colin Munro to to open batting for the Kiwis. Bhuvneshwar Kumar takes the new ball from India.
PLAYING XIs
INDIA: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed
Our Playing XI for the game #NZvIND https://t.co/isCYUgisFa
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1549434797000
NEW ZEALAND: Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
TEAM NEWS: India include all three wicketkeeper-batsmen -- Dhoni, Karthik and Pant -- in the eleven.
12:02 pm Rohit Sharma wins the toss and India decide to bowl first. NZ include debutant Daryl Mitchel.
What's your prediction for the game? #TeamIndia #NZvIND https://t.co/qct69CFvto
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1549435864000
11:50 am Good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you are in the world! We are back here at Timesofindia.com to bring you some 'fatafat' cricket as India begin their final leg of the New Zealand tour with the first game of the three-match T20I series today.
The setting is Wellington, the capital of New Zealand; and the Indian team's 4-1 win in the ODI series makes them the overwhelming favourites.
For the record, India are ranked No. 2 in ICC's T20I Rankings and New Zealand are in the lower half of the pack at No. 6.
Virat Kohli will remain missing from the scene as he continues to be on a well-deserved break, with Rohit Sharma leading the team as he did for the last two matches of the ODI series.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant returns to India's squad with allrounder Krunal Pandya.
The toss is scheduled for 12 noon IST, with 12:30 pm as the start time. Stay tuned for the all the updates.
Until then, whet your appetite with:
Match Preview
They have hit the homestretch of a memorable three-month tour and a rampant India will be fancying another series win when they clash with under pressure hosts New Zealand in the opening T20 International on
Wednesday.
While regular skipper Virat Kohli is getting the much-needed rest, the Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it has enough left in the tank to record a maiden T20 series win in New Zealand, following a record 4-1 result in ODIs and a historic tour of Australia.
"We too are humans and our bodies need a bit of rest. Of course, we would be looking to the win the series and carry the momentum back home for the Australia series," opener Shikhar Dhawan said on the eve of the game.
The preceding ODI series solved a part of the puzzle as India look to finalise their 15 for the World Cup. But there are still a few spots up for grabs and the T20 series can help the team management zero in on the squad for the mega event in England in May-July.
Young wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who was not part of the ODIs, returns hungrier and has a big opportunity to stake a claim for a World Cup spot in the upcoming three T20s.
Veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back in the T20 mix after being omitted from the series against Australia last year and his performance will also be keenly followed. He last played a T20 in July.
Following the high of the Test series Down Under, another stellar showing might just convince the selectors to include Pant in the final-15.
The series is also an opportunity for Dinesh Karthik, who has done well as a finisher but is still not a sure starter in the eleven. Ambati Rayudu grabbed his chance with a match-winning 90 in the fifth ODI, probably enough to seal a place in the middle-order.
Nineteen-year-old Shubman Gill showed glimpses of his much talked about talent in the final two ODIs but did not allow himself to settle in his debut series. In Kohli's absence, he might get to bat at number three again.
Besides Pant, the others who have joined the team are spin all-rounder Krunal Pandya and Punjab pacer Siddharth Kaul.
In the absence of seniors like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed have not made much of an impact and they will be aiming for a breakthrough performance.
Dhawan did not do well in the last three ODIs against New Zealand and is eager to finish the tour on a high.
Ahead of the game, he was also seen practising with a tennis ball to counter the bounce and swing generated by the home team's pacers.
New Zealand will be desperate to turn things around after a 1-4 drubbing. They do hold an upper hand over India in the shortest format. They beat India 2-0 in the 2008-09 in the sole bilateral series played on New Zealand soil till date.
The Black Caps edged the sub-continental side 1-0 in a two-match away series in 2012 before losing 1-2 in India in 2017-18.
The ball swung initially at the Westpac Stadium on Sunday and New Zealand pacers will be itching to exploit that but they won't have the services of premier fast bowler Trent Boult, who has been rested.
It will be interesting to see what rookie all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner do in their debut series.