On Wednesday, February 6, India will face New Zealand for the first T20 match at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. After a comfortable ODI series victory in New Zealand, India now face the hosts in a three-match T20I series.
India has had a very successful last few months with a historic Test series win in Australia followed by back-to-back ODI series victories and would be keen to finish off the long tour on a winning note. Team India will be returning home for the first time since November and would want to end the season on a high.
Squads to choose from:
New Zealand:
The Kiwis have had a few injuries to deal with. Southpaw opener Martin Guptill was recently ruled out of the series with the previously injured Jimmy Neesham making a comeback to the squad. Colin Munro and Kiwi captain Kane Williamson are two reliable T20 players and will definitely sport a good score for their team.
Team: James Neesham, Colin Munro, Tim Siefert(WK), Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Doug Bracewell, Blair Tickner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi
Possible XI: James Neesham, Colin Munro, Tim Siefert(wk), Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhome, Daryl Mitchell/ Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee.
India:
Team India who are without Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli will be happy with the return of the in-form Rishabh Pant. Also, Hardik Pandya will boost up the squad with his all-round performance. Out of the three wicketkeeper-batsmen, MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant are likely to feature in the playing XI while Dinesh Karthik is likely to stay on the bench.
Team: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, MS Dhoni(WK), Rishabh Pant, Kedhar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Sidharth Kaul and Khaleel Ahmed.
Possible XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni(wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed.
Fantasy Tips and Suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: Between MS Dhoni and Tim Siefert, it is more likely that finisher Dhoni could create some major differences. Rishabh Pant is also in a great form and is capable to feature for fantasy league playing XI
Batsmen: Last year, Shikhar Dhawan set the record for the most runs in T20s in a calendar year. Dhawan along with Colin Munro and Rohit Sharma are great picks to have in your side. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson are also viable options to rake invaluable points.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya is a must have in the fantasy team as he showed the calibre in the fifth ODI. Colin de Grandhomme is also capable of stretching the total of their team at the last moment. Either of Daryl Mitchell or Mitchell Santner would be a very handy option in the team.
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav should return to the side after being left out of the last ODI. He is one of the better T20 bowlers in the world and is an invaluable pick. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar should suffice along with Bracewell and Kuggeleijn.
Captain: Shikhar Dhawan has been in brilliant form in the format. He also performed admirably in the ODI series and is the front-runner for the captain. Along with him, Colin Munro and Rohit Sharma are the other options with both of them being amongst the best there are in the international circuit with multiple hundreds to their name.
Fantasy Suggestion #1:
MS Dhoni(wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya, Daryl Mitchell, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Doug Bracewell, Kuggeleijn.
Captain: Shikhar Dhawan.
Fantasy Suggestion #2:
Rishabh Pant(wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Ross Taylor, Colin Munro, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Scott Kuggeleijn, Doug Bracewell and Kuldeep Yadav.
Captain: Colin Munro
