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New Zealand Bowl First in T20I Opener; Clarke Debuts, India Miss Key Stars

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to field in the first T20I against India in Nagpur. Santner highlighted the series as crucial preparation for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. India's captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, and Harshit Rana from the playing XI. The match features a debut for New Zealand's Kristian Clarke.

Key Points: NZ vs IND 1st T20I: Santner Wins Toss, Opts to Field

  • NZ wins toss & bowls first
  • Kristian Clarke makes debut
  • India rests Shreyas, Bishnoi, Kuldeep
  • Series serves as T20 World Cup prep
2 min read

1st T20I: New Zealand win toss, opt to field against India

New Zealand bowl first in the T20I series opener. Get playing XIs, captain quotes, and team news as both sides build towards the T20 World Cup.

"s, and team news as both sides build towards the T20 World Cup.QUOTE: Looks like a good wicket, will see if it does anything early... great prep for the World Cup. - Mitchell Santner"

Nagpur, January 21

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to field first against Team India in the first T20I of the five-match series at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.

The five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand will help both countries prepare for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, starting next month in India and Sri Lanka.

Santner said it is a good wicket and they will try to take advantage early.

"Looks like a good wicket, will see if it does anything early. Last week was special. It's a new series, great prep for the World Cup. All have been playing, be it for the national side or franchises. Three seamers - Clarke to debut, Jamieson and Duffy. There are many spinners. Bracewell still has a calf niggle," Santner said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

India captain Suryakumar said Shreyas, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav are missing out. "We were looking to play, and there was a bit of dew at 8:30pm (yesterday). We've been doing a lot right, and the atmosphere is positive in the dressing room. Shreyas, Harshit, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep are the ones from the squad missing out."

Teams: New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy. India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Exciting to see Abhishek Sharma get a chance. He was on fire in the IPL. This series is perfect preparation for the World Cup. Need to test our bench strength properly.
R
Rohit P
Fielding first on a Nagpur wicket? Interesting call by Santner. Dew could be a major factor later. Our batting lineup looks explosive on paper. Should be a high-scoring game.
S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan, this looks like a fantastic contest. New Zealand's playing XI has some exciting new faces like Tim Robinson. India's spin trio of Axar, Varun, and Bumrah's yorkers will be key. Best of luck to both teams!
V
Vikram M
Honestly, I would have liked to see Ravi Bishnoi play. His leg-spin could have been useful. But I trust the team management's call. Let's focus on the game now. Jai Hind!
K
Karthik V
The real test is for our finishers - Rinku and Hardik. They need to fire consistently before the World Cup. Good toss to lose, I think. Batting first lets us set a big target.

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