In-form Team India opener Shubman Gill will continue to open for Team India in the T20 format in the absence of regular openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Stand-in captain Hardik Pandya confirmed that Gill and Ishan Kishan will be India’s preferred choice of openers for the first T20I against New Zealand in the three-match series at the Jharkhand Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi on Friday (January 27).
Gill was in scintillating form, scoring 360 runs in just three ODIs – including a double century and a century in the third and final ODI in Indore earlier this week. The young opener from Punjab has earned the right to be the backup opener ahead of Mumbai’s Prithvi Shaw, who is making a comeback to the international team.
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In the bowling department, young pacers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh will be expected to lead the attack, as Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are getting well breaks ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia next month. With all-rounders Deepak Hooda and Washington Sundar expected to perform well with the ball, it will be a toss-up between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for the specialist spinner’s slot.
For New Zealand, Tim Southee and Trent Boult are both unavailable for this series as well. Young left-arm fast bowler Ben Lister is in line to make his T20 debut and according to Devon Conway Lister is capable of ‘tricking’ the ball.
India: Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(C), Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Mavi
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Blair Tickner, Ish Sodhi, Ben Lister, Lockie Ferguson