India were caught in a spin web on the Ranchi pitch as they lost the series opener by 21 runs on Friday.
a red-ball warm-up game will be the most welcome distraction for Virat Kohli and his men as a precursor to the two-match Test series starting next week.
India are set for a T20 appetizer ahead of their marquee Test series against Australia when they face the touring New Zealand in a three-match series, beginning in Ranchi, on Friday.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will be eager to grab a consolation win to boost their morale.
Ishan Kishan had to sit out of the Sri Lanka series despite scoring the fastest double hundred in the history of ODIs against Bangladesh.
India were expected to try out a bunch of players after another World Cup debacle but if the team combination for the second T20 was any indication, they seemed reluctant to start with a clean slate.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami gave an exhibition of high-quality fast bowling on Saturday, on Day 2 of India's warm-up match against New Zealand XI, sending a warning signal for the home team ahead of first Test in Wellington.
Images from the second One-Day International between India and New Zealand, at Raipur.
India will aim to shed their archaic playing style for good with a 'young and fearless' bunch in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting in Wellington on Friday.
Images from the first T20 International between India and New Zealand, in Ranchi, on Friday.
IMAGES from the 3rd ODI played between India and New Zealand in Indore on Tuesday.
Is Bhuvneshwar going to be around for the T20 World Cup in 2024 with a sharp decline in his pace?
Indian openers have not replicated the kind of starts the Indian batting has grown accustomed to from its top-order.
New Zealand will be banking on injured pace bowlers Trent Boult (hand), Matt Henry (thumb) and Lockie Ferguson (calf) coming back into contention for the Tests
Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it has enough left in the tank to record a maiden T20 series win in New Zealand
India 'A' scored 247 for 3 in 65 overs in their second innings when the match was called off.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, India A declared their first innings after some useful contributions from the lower-order batsmen. The visitors were 340 for five at stumps on the opening day at the Bay Oval.
India 'A' scored 340 for five with four of the visiting batsmen, including young opener Prithvi Shaw, striking fluent half-centuries in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand 'A', in Mount Maunganui, on Friday.
New Zealand have drafted in two debutants in the T20 squad besides all-rounder Scott Kuggeleijen, who has played just one T20
India got off to a horror start in their practice match as youngsters Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill failed with the bat on Day 1 of the three-day game against New Zealand XI at Seddon Park, in Hamilton, on Friday. All the batsmen were dismissed by fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn as India were reduced to 5/3 in the seventh over.
The Kiwis will have greater concern over their lack of finishing after squandering two last over winning positions in two consecutive games, and the series along with.
Rohit Sharma belted two sixes off the final two deliveries of a Super Over to give India victory in a thrilling finish in the third Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday and clinch the series with two games to spare. Images from the third T20 between India and New Zealand, at Hamilton, on Wednesday.
The lack of fight in the run chase was a big disappointment, as mentioned by captain Rohit Sharma in Wellington. Despite having eight batsmen in the eleven, India lost by 80 runs.
It remains to be seen whether India stick to their combination of three specialist pacers and two spinners combination or bring in an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav to partner Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja.
In a tight season for India, the first T20 comes only five days after their last ODI against Australia at home.
An unassailable lead has opened up the window for experimentation but there will be no letup in India's intensity when they face a heartbroken New Zealand team in the fourth T20 International, in Wellington, on Friday. Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are waiting for opportunities, with the former expected to get a look-in. Pant's call-up would depend on which batsman is left out, and whether KL Rahul will continue to keep wickets.
India won the twin T20 Internationals in Auckland by margins of six and seven wickets respectively to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
A first T20 series victory in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake for the Men in Blue, who have far exceeded expectations during their three-month sojourn in this part of the world.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
India Test regulars like Cheteswar Pujara and Ishant Sharma have also thrown their hat into the ring with base prices of Rs 50 and Rs 75 lakh respectively.
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