India have dropped Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana from the playing XI for the first T20I of the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand. In the series opener taking place at Vidarbha Cricket Association
Stadium in Nagpur, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will open the innings with world No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan will bat at No. 3 in his first international match for India after more than two years.
Varun Chakaravarthy is the only specialist spinner in India’s playing XI for the series opener, and he will have vice-captain Axar Patel for support.
The onus of fast bowling will be on Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh’s shoulders, and India’s playing XI also includes the likes of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, who can also contribute with their medium-pace bowling.
Left-handed batter Rinku Singh, who was dropped for the T20I series against South Africa last month, is also part of the playing XI. The Aligarh-based cricketer has been preferred over Shreyas Iyer for the middle-order batter’s role.
India’s playing XI for 1st T20I: Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh
New Zealand’s playing XI: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
