Indian cricketers are a busy lot. A day after beating Australia at Bengaluru on Sunday to win the three-match ODI series 2-1, they head to New Zealand for a full tour, comprising five T20s, three ODIs and two Tests. (More Cricket News)
A series win against a strong Australia and the performance in New Zealand last year gives India a lot of confidence ahead of a fresh tour. This is according to skipper Virat Kohli. India had beaten the Kiwis 4-1 in ODIs before losing the T20 series 1-2.
"We are taking a lot of confidence from our performance (in NZ) last year. We were very positive in how we played, very sure of what we wanted to do. The thing about playing away is if you're able to put the home team under pressure, you can enjoy your cricket.
"You have to win at home, there's that sort of feeling (for hosts). So if you bring out your A-game, you can really put them under pressure. That's what we did last year, squeezed them in the middle overs, picked up wickets, spinners were outstanding. Looking forward to take that
same intensity into the series," Kohli said on Sunday night here after the seven-wicket win over Australia in the series-deciding third ODI.
That we will know after January 24.
But India have injury concerns. Senior-most pacer Ishant Sharma hurt his ankle badly while bowling during a Ranji Trophy game, raising doubts over his availability even as Shikhar Dhawan's tryst with injuries continued. The left-handed batsman did not come out to bat after hurting his left shoulder during the third ODI against Australia. Then, there's Rishabh Pant concern too. But all of them are likely to get match fit, in time.
For the Kiwis, skipper Kane Willaimson remains their biggest player while veterans Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Tim Southee will hope to perform well. They will, however, miss pacer Trent Boult, who sustained a fracture to his right hand during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year.
Both the sides have announced their respective T20I squads -- India on January 12 and New Zealand on January 15.
Head-to-heads
T20Is: 11 - New Zealand 8-3 India. In New Zealand, India have won only once in five matches.
ODIs: 107 - New Zealand 46-55 India; one tie and five no results. In New Zealand, India have won 14 in 39 matches.
Tests: 57 - New Zealand 10-21 India; 26 draws. In New Zealand, India have won five in 23 matches.
New Zealand vs India T20I schedule
January 24 (Friday): 1st T20I at Eden Park, Auckland (12:30 PM IST)
January 26 (Sunday): 2nd T20I at Eden Park, Auckland (12:30 PM IST)
January 29 (Wednesday): 3rd T20I at Seddon Park, Hamilton (12:30 PM IST)
January 31 (Friday): 4th T20I at Westpac Stadium, Wellington (12:30 PM IST)
February 2 (Sunday): 5th T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui (12:30 PM IST)
New Zealand vs India ODI schedule
February 5 (Wednesday): 1st ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton (7:30 AM IST)
February 8 (Saturday): 2nd ODI at Eden Park, Auckland (7:30 AM IST)
February 11 (Tuesday): 3rd ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui (7:30 AM IST)
February 14-16: Three-Day Practice Match, Seddon Park, Hamilton (3:30 AM IST every day)
New Zealand vs India Test schedule
February 21-25: 1st Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington (4:00 AM IST every day)
February 29-March 4: 2nd Test, Hagley Oval, Christchurch (4:00 AM IST every day)
Live Streaming
Live streaming of the New Zealand vs India, T20I, ODI and Test series will be available online. You will have to download the Hotstar app to watch live streaming. Payment details are available when you subscribe. The match can also be streamed live on the Jio TV app and
Airtel TV.
TV Telecast
All the matches of the tour can also be watched LIVE on the following TV channels: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 2/HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi/HD, Star Sports SELECT 1/HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil.
State broadcaster Doordarshan will also telecast the match live in India.
Sky Sports NZ holds the official broadcast rights of the tour and Sky Sports will telecast the matches in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
You can also follow ball-by-ball live commentary HERE.
T20I Squads
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Hamish Bennett, Tom Bruce (for games 4-5), Colin de Grandhomme (for games 1-3), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
ODI Squads
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Kedar Jadhav
Test Squads: Yet to be announced.
