Predicted playing XI for the T20I series between India vs New Zealand

In what has turned out to be an unsung rivalry for the Indian cricket team in the recent past particularly the ICC events, India will now host New Zealand in what is going to be a hard-fought test and T20 series.

New Zealand has certainly got the better of the Indian cricket team in the recent past. The succession of bad form against the New Zealand team has seen the Indian cricket team lose crucial games in the ICC tournaments to them. The 2019 World Cup semi-final loss is still a heart-breaking -image for all the cricket fans in the country. The misery escalated when we lost against this team once again in the recently concluded T20 world cup.

We now host the New Zealand team in what is going to be a series where the Indians will field a new look team lead by a new leader.

Rohit Sharma has been announced as the captain of the team and in the T20 format there are a few players who have been rested. This opens doors to some new players who would be looking to get a look in. From the squad that is available, here is our predicted playing 11 for the upcoming T20 world cup.

Openers

Rohit Sharma
KL Rahul

The Indian team is expected to once again field the same opening combination with which it went in the T20 world cup with Rohit Sharma and while the first game where they opened did not exactly turn out as they expected, it could be another chance for both these players to show that they have what it takes to still be the force to be reckoned with. This series also has competition for them as there is Rituraj Gaekwad who is in the squad and with his performances in the IPL, he has done his chances no harm.

Middle Order

Rituraj Gaekwad
Shreyas Iyer
Ishan Kishan
Rishabh Pant
Venkatesh Iyer/Axar Patel

With no Hardik Pandya and no Ravindra Jadeja in the mix, there is a serious case for Venkatesh Iyer to make his debut in this format right here. He had a miracle of a season in the second half of the IPL and you can see him fit into the 5^th bowler slot. This is a player who can give you some solid overs and also come up with some lusty blows down the order. There may well be a case for Axar Patel to get a look in as well.

Bowlers

Bhuvneshvar Kumar
Deepak Chahar
Mohammed Siraj
Yuzvendra Chahal

The bowling resources will be slightly depleted with Jasprit Bumrah not there in the mix. The Indian bowling however has been bolstered with the additions of a few new faces. While Indians are likely to go in with the tried and tested lot for the first one, we could expect a surprise to spring up this time around as they could give chances to the new bowlers who have been selected here. The likes of Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan could get their look in this time around.

There are a few contenders here who would be looking to get into the team. This team could comprise of people who may or may not have played for this team thus far. This could be an opportunity for a lot of other players to cement their place in the team by performing against one of the best teams in the world. New Zealand jinx needs to be broken here and it would be a great time to break it as India begins its preparations for the upcoming World cup next year.

Also read : Best Fantasy 11 for India vs New Zealand
Fantasy players you should not ignore
Best bowlers to prediction