Stead said about Kane that he is a batter who rises for big occasions, calling him a "special player".
New Zealand's fast bowling department has been hit hard by injuries as Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell and Adam Milne have also been sidelined.
India will be expecting more runs from the middle order and discipline in the death overs as they look for a series sealing win against New Zealand in the second ODI in Raipur on Saturday.
Apart from Rohit, Guptill is closely followed by former India captain Virat Kohli (3,308), Ireland's ODI skipper Paul Stirling (2,894), and Australian captain Aaron Finch, who is fifth in the list with 2,855 runs.
A win for New Zealand against Afghanistan would end India's hopes of advancing to the semi-finals at the T20 World Cup.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
New Zealand bowler Lockie Ferguson joined Canada skipper Saad Bin Zafar as only the second bowler in T20I history to bowl each of the allotted four overs as maidens, returning figures of 4-4-0-3. Zafar recorded 4-4-0-2.
Images from the third and final T20 International between India and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
RCB's openers gave the hosts the perfect start, before the middle order delivered once again to take the hosts to a defendable total. Cameos from Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell added the final flourish.
The third and final T20 International between New Zealand and West Indies was abandoned due to rain at the Bay Oval, in Mount Maunganui, on Monday.
New Zealand steam roll England in third T20I
Fast bowler Trent Boult is in line to play his first one-day international in almost a year after being included in New Zealand's 15-man squad for a four-match series against England.
New Zealand will firmly bank on their potent batting line-up to ward off Bangladesh's capable spin attack on a slow Chepauk pitch on Friday.
Rajneesh Gupta lists the New Zealand players's T20 Internationals records updated after the game against England in the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh vice-captain Najmul Hossain Shanto says the team is hoping to benefit from the inputs it is receiving from technical consultant Sridharan Sriram in the World Cup matches, including Friday's game against New Zealand.
Smarting from back-to-back defeats, defending champions Chennai Super Kings will be desperate to return to winning ways when they face a formidable but bruised Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Chennai on Sunday.
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.
All-rounder Dwayne Bravo wrote his own piece of history, while Praveen Tambe became the first Indian cricketer to play in the Hero Caribbean Premier League as Trinbago Knight Riders posted their fourth straight win, beating St Lucia Zouks by six wickets via D/L method in a rain-truncated match, in Port of Spain on Wednesday.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Dhoni returns to the hallowed turf of Wankhede for the first time as non-captain of CSK, potentially in his last IPL season. It will also be his first appearance just as a player for any team since November 2005.
The batters' constant failure in making runs in the first innings is costing the team dear, admitted bowling coach Morne Morkel even as India are in danger of losing the first Test series at home since 2012-13.
India has only minor concerns, but New Zealand's troubles across batting and bowling departments are more pronounced.
Gill remained not out on 126 to help India post a massive 234 for 4 after electing to bat.
There was poor communication and complete mismanagement between the stadium authority and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). Rain had affected the buildup to the Test, the first between the two nations, with New Zealand not being able to complete a single practice session properly.
Moeen Ali said he has no issues with his spin being used sparingly by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the Chennai Super Kings all-rounder helped his team to victory over Lucknow Super Giants.
Returning to their den at the Chepauk, Chennai Super Kings will look to bounce back from their opening day win when they take on Lucknow Super Giants.
Skipper Williamson cleared to play; spinner Patel included in 15-man squad
In 136 ODIs, Smith has scored 4,722 runs at an average of 44.13. His best individual score is 164.
Rodrigues was one of the pillars of the Indian team that went all the way into the finals of the Commonwealth Games
Nathan McCullum gets recall into Kiwi set-up for World T20; Nicholls gets call-up after good showing in series vs Pakistan
Pace spearhead Trent Boult has been omitted from the white-ball squad a few months after being released from his national contract.
Exactly 11 months are left for the marquee event in India and the series starting on Friday will give the team an initial idea about some of the middle-order slots
Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
Centuries from openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan powered Titans to an emphatic victory against champions CSK.
Fakhar Zaman fires as Pakistan beat New Zealand in rain-hit World Cup clash
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand?
The dream run began with the pair of Ashwin, who made his debut in November 2011, and Jadeja, who played his first Test in December 2012, coming together to form a lethal spin combination.
After a stunning manifestation of his talent with an unbeaten 123, New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra on Thursday said he did not expect to bat at No. 3, but coming out at that position gave him the freedom to play with aggression.
Warner described local fans as "derogatory and pretty vulgar" after the Australians were targeted for abuse during a test and ODI tour of New Zealand in 2016.
Images from the T20 World Cup match played between New Zealand and Uganda in Tarouba, Trinidad, on Saturday.
