LIVE IND VS NZ 1st T20I: New Zealand crush India by 80 runs to hand them their worst ever defeat

India beat New Zealand 4-1 in the ODI series but the Blackcaps have all the resources to make a strong comeback in the three-match T20I series.

No, there is no reason to think New Zealand will be rolled over even in the T20Is like they were in the recently concluded ODI series. If anything, India should be wary of a strong comeback from the hosts who were below par in the entire series barring the fourth ODI at Hamilton.

By all means, the Kiwis, dubbed by pundits as one of the most formidable sides on home soil were outplayed by India, resulting in their first series loss to the Men in Blue on home soil after 10 years. Kiwis’ much famed formidable batting unit struggled all along the series to string together respectable totals against a well rounded Indian bowling attack. But New Zealand are still one of the most formidable T20 sides of the world.

New entries

The Black Caps certainly have a fresh look to their T20 team with a couple of youngsters likely to make their debut on the international stage. Daryl Mitchell whose father is a rugby player earned a deserving place in the Black Caps T20 squad on the back of a stellar run with the bat in the Super Smash, NZ's domestic T20 league. Mitchell, who is an attacking middle-order batsman, recently scored a whirlwind 23-ball 61 for Northern Knights against Central Stags and also struck a purple patch with the bat for New Zealand A in one-day cricket. Another new addition, right-arm fast bowler Blair Tickner is the second highest wicket-taker of New Zealand's domestic T20 competetion. 

On the other hand, glovesman Tim Seifert, who made his debut last year against England, shall once again get a chance to showcase his wicket-keeping skills and impress the selectors and stake a claim for a spot in the New Zealand's T20 World Cup  squad for next year. 

Colin Munro, the T20 cricketer

New Zealand’s batting lineup has been left with a big gaping hole after Martin Guptill was ruled out of the series due to injury but that will bring all the spotlights on Colin Munro, who failed to get going in the ODIs. However, when it comes to the shortest format of the game, Munro is a different proposition altogether. The left-hander has scored at a strike rate of 180 in T20Is in the last 12 months. Averaging 33.15, Munro also has three T20I hundreds to his name and is regarded as one of the most destructive T20 batsmen of the world.

Impressive all-rounders

In Doug Bracewell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner and Colin de Grandhomme, New Zealand have one of the best set of all-rounders when it comes to T20 cricket. Neesham, who was drafted into the T20 squad as a replacement of Guptill, showed a glimpse of his class in the last ODI at Wellington before a splash of brilliance Dhoni cut his innings short.  Doug Bracewell starred with both bat and ball in New Zealand ’s last T20I against Sri Lanka and could again play a key role against India. If Grandhomme can find movement off the pitch then he can cause a lot of damage like he showed by picking up three wickets at Hamilton. Santner is New Zealand’s best bet to in the middle overs against a strong Indian batting line-up.

Taylor, Williamson combo

When you talk about a New Zealand side, you just cannot ignore two names – Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. Both of them failed to set the stage on fire in the ODIs but they would like to start afresh in the T20Is holding fort in the middle stages of the innings.

New Zealand T20 Squad for India series: Kane Williamson (c), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Jimmy Neesham, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner.