IND vs NZ 1st T20I: India are coming off a major ODI (One Day International) series against New Zealand and the focus has now turned to the shortest format of the game. T20I format. The first match will be played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. It is a three match T20 series and hardik pandyaTeam India will try to make the most of it. The Indian cricket team has reached Ranchi and they have started their preparations ahead of the first match to be played on January 27, 2023.
Bad news is coming for the ‘Men in Blue’ ahead of the first game. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is likely to make India’s white-ball debut, has been ruled out of the entire series as per published reports. cricbuzz, The CSK (Chennai Super Kings) opener complained of wrist pain and as of now, he has been taken to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for his rehabilitation. The 25-year-old opener was last seen in a Ranji Trophy match for Maharashtra against Hyderabad. He registered very disappointing scores of 8 and 0 in the game and was quick to report to the BCCI about the condition of his wrist.
This is not the first time Ruturaj has injured his wrist. Last year, he missed the T20 match against Sri Lanka due to the same issue. Gaikwad later tested positive for COVID and missed the home ODI against West Indies last year. It is being said that the team management and decision makers are quite upset about Gaikwad and the number of times he has missed assignments. As of now, the BCCI has not named any replacement for Gaikwad.
Here is the Team India squad for the T20I series against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (c), Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman GillDeepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra ChahalArshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi ShawMukesh Kumar