Kane Williamson returns for T20Is against India: Details here
What's the story
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has returned to the side for the upcoming five-match T20I series against India from January 24. He had missed the previous series against England after suffering a hip injury, as the Kiwis had lost the five-match series 2-3. Meanwhile, the side would miss the services of Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. Here are further details.
Bennett and Neesham
Hamish Bennett earns recall, Neesham to play against India A
Meanwhile, right-arm pacer Hamish Bennett has earned a recall to the side as the replacement for Boult and Ferguson, and is all set for his T20I debut. However, fellow pacer James Neesham, who is recovering from an injury, has not been included in the squad, but would feature for the 'A' side against India A.
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We're delighted to have Hamish back: NZ chief selector
"We're delighted to have Hamish back in the fold for what will be a huge series against India. We all know he brings good pace and bounce, but it's the clever variations he's added that make him such a well-rounded T20 bowler," said Gavin Larsen.
Grandhomme replcement
Bruce to replace Colin de Grandhomme in final two T20Is
Also, top order batsman Tom Bruce has been recalled to the side for the final two T20Is, as he would be replacing all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme. "We're fully aware of the challenges ahead. We clearly want to win the series in front of us, while also considering our wider ICC T20 World Cup campaign plan," added selector Larsen.
The squad
T20I squad for both the sides
New Zealand: Kane Williamson(c), Hamish Bennett, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert(wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. India: Virat Kohli(c), Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant(wk), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur.
Recent form
A look at the recent form of both teams
Considering the recent form of both sides, it has been up for one, whereas down for the other. New Zealand are coming off a 2-3 series loss against England in November, while they are ranked sixth in the format. As for India, they are coming off a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka at home, while they have won three consecutive series at home.
Information
Itinerary for the five-match T20I series
The itinerary for the five-match T20I series is as follows: 1st T20I- January 24, Auckland; 2nd T20I- January 26, Auckland; 3rd T20I- January 29, Hamilton; 4th T20I- January 31, Wellington; 5th T20I- February 2, Mount Maunganui.