India vs New Zealand 1st T20: Green top for 1st T20I? – The pace powerhouse New Zealand will face India in the 1st T20 after the T20 World Cup in Jaipur. However, the Rajasthan Cricket Association has hinted at a lively pitch for the 1st T20 with plenty of grass on the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch. Rohit Sharma & Co will be without top pacers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami but the likes of Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel could do real damage.
The images of the pitch did rounds on social media and the presence of grass was noteworthy. While there is still a week to go for the 1st T20 which will be played on November 17, the greenish look will excite both sides.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20: Avesh Khan & Co to rule in Jaipur? Pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium revealed – Check out
Even though New Zealand have announced the squad for two Tests, they are yet to reveal T20I squad. As Trent Boult is all set to return home from UAE post the T20 World Cup, he is likely to skip the T20I series.
When India travelled to New Zealand for the T20I series in 2020, India blanked the hosts winning the series 5-0. If the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch retains the greenish look, the pitch will only harden and even if the grass is rolled over, the pitch could retain the hardness and assist the batsmen.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20: Avesh Khan & Co to rule in Jaipur? Pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium revealed – Check out
However, under new T20 captain Rohit Sharma, Team India look to shrug off disappointments of the T20 World Cup in the New Zealand series. KL Rahul will be the deputy in the series while India will be without other senior players including Hardik Pandya, who has been dropped after a string of poor performances. Venkatesh Iyer, another seam-bowling allrounder, has been picked.
Jaipur pitch records:
India vs New Zealand: Records in international matches
So far, one Test and 19 ODIs have been played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The team batting first in ODIs has won seven times. At the same time, the run-chasing team has won 12 times. Here the average score is 244 in the first innings and 227 runs in the second innings. It was on this ground that Mahendra Singh Dhoni played an innings of 183 runs against Sri Lanka.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20: Avesh Khan & Co to rule in Jaipur? Pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium revealed – Check out
Ind vs NZ 1st T20I: Records in T20s:
Sawai Mansingh Stadium has been home to Rajasthan Royals until 2019 in IPL before it was moved to the UAE due to Covid-19 pandemic.
So far 47 T20 matches have been played at this ground. The team batting first has won 15 of them. The team that has scored 32 times has got success. The highest score in the first innings was 158 runs. The highest score on this ground is in the name of the Rajasthan Royals while Mumbai Indians have the lowest score of 92 at the venue.
However, the dew could be a factor. The slowness of the pitches had been reported during the latter stages of the tournament and in evening matches. Although the pitch is newly laid, it could be a factor once again.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20: Avesh Khan & Co to rule in Jaipur? Pitch at Sawai Mansingh Stadium revealed – Check out
India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj
| NEW ZEALAND TOUR OF INDIA I 2021-22 | |||
| Day | Date | Match | Venue |
| Wednesday | 17th Nov 2021 | 1st T20I | Jaipur |
| Friday | 19th Nov 2021 | 2nd T20I | Ranchi |
| Sunday | 21st Nov 2021 | 3rd T20I | Kolkata |
