India will travel to New Zealand for five T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches as they prepare to be challenged across all formats by the Black Caps.
The tour will start with five T20Is as both teams continue preparations towards the upcoming T20 World Cup in October.
India go into the series on the back of a 2-1 comeback victory over Australia in a three-game ODI series at the start of the month. The last time they were in T20I action they brushed aside Sri Lanka on home soil.
However, it has been a quick turn around since that Australia series and India will have to make sure they hit the ground running away from home. New Zealand sit just one place below them in fifth in the official ICC T20 rankings and there should be plenty of clues on offer ahead of the world cup.
Hosts New Zealand start the series looking to get back on track following a disappointing tour of Australia.
They were comprehensively outplayed by their neighbours despite entering that series in fine spirits after Test success against England.
The last time the Black Caps were in T20I action they won two out of the five games against England, only losing the deciding clash by a super over.
New Zealand vs India T20I Schedule
The teams will play five T20Is over nine days before then heading for three ODI matches and two Test matches.
1st T20: Friday 24th January 2020
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland.
Start time: 12:20 (IST) and 06:50 (GMT)
2nd T20: Sunday 26th January 2020
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Start time: 12:20 (IST) and 06:50 (GMT)
3rd T20: Wednesday 29th January 2020
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
Start time: 12:30 (IST) and 07:00 (GMT)
4th T20: Friday 31st January 2020
Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington
Start time: 12:30 (IST) and 07:00 (GMT)
5th T20: Sunday 7th February 2020
Venue: Bay Oval, Tauranga
Start time: 12:30 (IST) and 07:00 (GMT)
New Zealand vs India 2020 – T20I Squads
India have named a 16-member squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami return and Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur keep their places. Sanju Samson misses out
Among the spinners, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav have all kept their places in the squad.
One blow on the eve of the New Zealand trip was the loss of opener Shikhar Dhawan to injury.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have turned to Hamish Bennett in a 14-man squad.
He comes in due to injuries to Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. Also out through injury are Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Seth Rance, Doug Bracewell, Will Young, and Adam Milne.
New Zealand vs India T20I Squads
| India |
New Zealand |
| Virat Kohli (captain) |
Kane Williamson (captain) |
| Manish Pandey |
Hamish Bennett |
| Rishabh Pant |
Tom Bruce |
| Yuzvendra Chahal |
Colin de Grandhomme |
| KL Rahul |
Martin Guptill |
| Rohit Sharma |
Scott Kuggeleijn |
| Shivam Dube |
Daryl Mitchell |
| Shreyas Iyer |
Colin Munro |
| Ravindra Jadeja |
Ross Taylor |
| Jasprit Bumrah |
Blair Tickner |
| Navdeep Saini |
Mitchell Santner |
| Washington Sundar |
Tim Seifert |
| Kedar Jadhav |
Ish Sodhi |
| Shardul Thakur |
Tim Southee |
| Kuldeep Yadav |
|
| Mohammed Shami |
|
New Zealand vs India 2020 – T20I Preview, Latest Odds and Predictions
India again demonstrated their white-ball flair when they came back to beat Australia in the recent three-match ODI series.
That followed a comfortable success over Sri Lanka in T20Is.
However, facing New Zealand in their own conditions is not going to be easy over these five T20I fixtures. It will be a task made even harder due to the tight turn around from the Australia series and all while experimenting with one eye on the T20 World Cup.
New Zealand showed their capabilities in home conditions against England and India can expect a tough test too.
The visitors are still considered the short-priced favourites at 1.25 (1/4) with bet365 to take the overall series win. New Zealand are available at 4.00 (3/1).
At those prices and with home advantage, the Black Caps look good value and a decent betting prospect for the overall win.
Don't be surprised to see the home side make a quick start to the series. They are priced up at 2.63 (13/8) with bet365 to win the first clash in Auckland. India are 1.50 (1/2).
For the overall top team batsman markets, it will be worth sticking with those you know will get game time.
There are likely to be a few changes for both sides as the series progresses. Colin de Grandhomme is only available for the first three T20s, while Tom Bruce comes in for the last two.
Captains Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli are likely to prove popular. They can both be backed at 3.25 (9/4) with bet365 to end the series as their team's top run-scorer.
