New Delhi: New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first against India in the 1st T20I at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi.
There was no surprise in Wiliamson’s decision, as sides generally like to chase in the shortest format of the game. Indian captain Virat Kohli also wanted to field first but he will have to put his pads on first.
The 1st T20I encounter also happens to be the last international outing for Ashish Nehra. The 38-year left-arm fast bowler is making a comeback in the Indian side for one last time.
“Ashish bhai has been a great servant of Indian cricket. 19 years as a fast bowler, few injuries here and there but he recovered every time. We love having him around, it’s sad to see him go but at the same time I’m happy that he will play his last game in front of his home crowd,” were Virat Kohli’s comments at the toss.
It is also a special occasion for young Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer, who will be making his India debut after breaking into the side with string of high scores for the A team.
Interestingly, India have gone in with five specialist bowlers with Hardik Pandya as the seaming all-rounder. That means India have only five specialist batsmen.
The Indians however have a task on their hands, as they have never beaten New Zealand in this format of the game. In the previous six encounters, New Zealand emerged victorious in five of them while one ended in a no result.
This is also the India’s first T20I at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
IND XI: RG Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli, S Iyer, MS Dhoni, H Pandya, A Patel, B Kumar, A Nehra, Y Chahal, J Bumrah
NZ XI: M Guptill, C Munro, K Williamson, T Bruce, T Latham, H Nicholls, C de Grandhomme, M Santner, T Southee, T Boult, I Sodhi