This time last year, India and New Zealand met in a bilateral T20I series just days after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2021. Once again, the two sides will go head to head the week after a World Cup, with India’s tour of New Zealand beginning this coming Friday 18 November. We break down everything you need to know ahead of this six-match tour.
No Time for India and New Zealand to Stew Over World Cup Exits
When India and New Zealand last met in a T20I series, it was a little anticlimactic.
New Zealand were fresh off a deep run in the T20 World Cup 2022, where they had gone all the way to the final, losing to Australia at the last hurdle. India, on the other hand, led a disappointing campaign which saw the tournament favourites fail to advance from the group stage of the event. When the two sides met just three days after the T20 World Cup final, it was a different New Zealand that showed up. The Kiwis were clearly still stinging from their loss, and put in a mediocre performance, losing to India 3-0.
This time, however, both teams are on the same page. New Zealand and India led strong World Cup campaigns, topping their respective groups and making the semifinals, before being comprehensively defeated by the underdog side. The two teams will be looking for redemption in this upcoming series, which should make it an interesting one.
Overview of Fixtures for India’s Tour of New Zealand
India will be in New Zealand for a total of six matches.
From Friday 18 November through to Tuesday 22 November, three T20I matches will be played. With the games occurring in Wellington, Mount Maunganui and Napier, this series represents an excellent opportunity for both sides to finalise the work they’ve been doing at the T20 World Cup, and seal off their campaigns with a win. Expect the betting odds for these three fixtures to be virtually neck and neck, with New Zealand having a home advantage but India being the higher-ranked team. Punters can use LibraBet to track exact odds ahead of the first match next Friday and place a bet on their favourite team.
Following the three-game T20 series, New Zealand and India will continue their white ball competition with a three-match ODI series as well. These take place from Friday 25 November to Wednesday 30 November, in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch.
Players to Watch on India’s Tour of New Zealand
There are several key players to watch from either side in this tour.
For India, Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli are in rich form at the moment. Both have scored over 250 runs at the T20 World Cup, and with Kohli being rested for this tour, Yadav will be looking to kick on and have a strong series in New Zealand. Yadav has just clocked over 1000 T20I runs for the season and has a chance to break the record of 1326 runs in a calendar year set by Mohammad Rizwan last year.
In the New Zealand team, Finn Allen had a strong start to the T20 World Cup, yet faded in the more recent games. He will be looking to score big runs in front of a home crowd to solidify his place at the top of the Black Caps’ batting lineup.
