In India's 100th T20I at home, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan struck explosive fifties as India chased down 209 with ease to beat New Zealand in Raipur, taking a 2-0 lead in the T20I series ahead of the World Cup.
Form and familiarity favour India in T20 World Cup
India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20, Guwahati: Abhishek blitz hands India series win
India crushed Namibia by 93 runs in the T20 World Cup, powered by Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, but concerns remain ahead of the Pakistan clash.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav would want the attacking batter in him to front up and bolster his leadership against New Zealand when the five-match T20I series gets underway in Nagpur on Wednesday, serving as a final dress rehearsal for India's World Cup title defence in less than three weeks' time.
Reaching the 100 mark will also make him the first Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets in all three formats.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday backed the Indian team's aggressive batting template in the T20 World Cup, saying top-order players like Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma should not curb their attacking instincts even on two-paced surfaces.
Ishan Kishan's sensational comeback and Sanju Samson's inconsistent displays with the bat will reignite debate over who should be Abhishek Sharma's preferred opening partner.
'India will have to use him carefully. If they want him to bowl three overs early, then Arshdeep Singh has to partner Bumrah in the death overs.'
Abhishek made a 20-ball 68 to lead India's thunderous chase, and he admitted it was not easy to bat in the same tempo all the time, but a task he is happy to shoulder for the team.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday climbed five places to seventh in the ICC men's T20I rankings
Mitchell Santner explains his defensive T20I blueprint after a match-winning 3/26 against India in Visakhapatnam, detailing how pressure, match-ups and key wickets powered New Zealand's 50-run win.
Ravichandran Ashwin says Suryakumar Yadav's cameo in the opening T20I was a key World Cup boost, while backing India's World Cup combination and calling Arshdeep Singh a marquee bowler.
Opener Abhishek Sharma's explosive unbeaten 68 off 20 balls set up a comprehensive eight-wicket victory against New Zealand.in the third match in Guwahati
India put on a commanding performance to beat South Africa by 30 runs in their T20 World Cup warm-up clash at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Defending champions India look to do something they have never done in World Cups and retain the trophy.
A preview of Group D in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, featuring South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
Six different teams have lifted the trophy over the years, with the West Indies, England and reigning champions India the only nations to have won it twice.
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship title and a historic 2-0 series sweep in India, also made the cut, while four Australian players were included.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav dazzled with a vital half-century as defending champions India registered a scratchy 29-run win against the United States of America despite a stunning top-order collapse.
India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav said a short break after the South Africa series last year and a conscious change in his batting approach helped him rediscover his touch.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma revealed that he received an apology from Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant for an offensive comment during the Kolkata Test.
A seemingly unstoppable force in the shortest format, the current India squad has an aura of invincibility around it unlike the one that ended the cricketing powerhouse's long wait for an ICC title in Barbados 19 months ago.
Shubman Gill is set to make a comeback during the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting in Cuttack, on December 9.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
A BCCI source said that while the Indian ODI squad for the New Zealand series is assembling in Vadodara by January 8, there is a possibility that Kohli might arrive a day earlier and train.
Rohit Sharma offered a hilarious piece of advice to spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup this year from February 7.
All-rounder Axar Patel was named vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of in-form Ishan Kishan, who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second wicketkeeper behind Sanju Samson.
Sanju Samson seeks revival with home support as India manage injuries and combinations against New Zealand in the final T20I before the World Cup.
'The brand of cricket we wanted to play was the same, result is in front of us.'
This is the most open T20 World Cup in history. The traditional powers are compromised. The new powers have gained strength, observes Faisal Shariff.
The pitch used for the India vs South Africa first Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in November has received a "satisfactory" rating from International Cricket Council.
Former captain Rohit Sharma highlighted Arshdeep Singh's effectiveness with the new ball and in the death overs.
ICC Men's T20I Rankings: Tilak Varma rises to third spot, Varun Chakravarthy continues supremacy
Cricket has never been the same since India's thrilling, last-over win over Pakistan in the final at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, on September 24, 2007.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
India's World Cup winning captains -- Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepika T C and Rohit Sharma -- were honoured by the Reliance Foundation in Mumbai on Monday.
In a surprising take, former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has overlooked Jasprit Bumrah while identifying the two biggest threats for opposition teams in T20 cricket.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
In keeping with workload management for frontline pacers, spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also likely to be rested from the three-match ODI series, which carries little significance in the build-up to the T20 showpiece.
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