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Pune Warriors’ IPL 2013 home matches will be held at the stadium at Gahunje on the outskirts of the city it has been confirmed, despite the ongoing dispute between the Sahara Group and the Maharashtra Cricket Association

Amol Karhadkar15-Mar-2013Pune Warriors’ IPL 2013 home matches will be held at the stadium at Gahunje on the outskirts of the city it has been confirmed, despite the ongoing dispute between the Sahara Group – which owns the Warriors franchise – and the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) over the title rights of the stadium. The BCCI working committee was informed at a meeting in Mumbai on Friday that the Warriors’ owners and the MCA have agreed to put their legal tussle on hold for the duration of the IPL’s sixth edition, to be played from April 3 to May 26.”Both the parties have agreed to move a joint application to the court saying the blacked out name [of the stadium] be reinstated only from the first till the last day of the IPL. If the dispute isn’t resolved in that window, status quo will be reinstated,” a BCCI insider said. “So the stadium is set to be recognised as the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium during the IPL”.In January, the MCA had terminated its agreement with the Sahara Group regarding the title rights of the stadium for alleged non-payment. Once the MCA covered the name of the stadium with a black cloth, Sahara moved the Bombay High Court alleging unlawful breach of agreement. Since then, there was uncertainty over where Warriors would play their home games.IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla initiated the truce last week, by getting Abhijit Sarkar, director of Sahara Adventure Sports Ltd, and Ajay Shirke, president of the MCA, to discuss the issue. That meeting culminated in both the parties agreeing to commit to a workable arrangement two days ago.The BCCI working committee was also informed that the dispute between the Hyderabad Cricket Association and Visaka Group over in-stadia advertisements at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium had been “amicably” resolved. “Everyone is glad that all the riddles regarding IPL venues are over. Now we are looking forward to the tournament to get underway with a glittering opening ceremony,” the BCCI insider said.At the meeting, the working committee also discussed how the notice from the income tax department regarding an outstanding bill of Rs 2,300 crore (approx USD433m) should be dealt with. Treasurer Ajay Shirke, who was handed the responsibility of coming up with suggestions during the last working committee meeting, on February 4 in Chennai, presented “three options” to the working committee. “It was left to the president [N Srinivasan] and the secretary [Sanjay Jagdale] to finalise the future course of action,” the insider said.

Australia Women retained the Rose Bowl after racing to a nine-wicket win in a low-scorer at Sydney’s Blacktown Park Olympic Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2012
ScorecardAustralia Women retained the Rose Bowl after racing to a nine-wicket win in a low-scorer at Sydney’s Blacktown Park Olympic Oval. Julie Hunter and Ellyse Perry set up the win by taking three wickets apiece to send New Zealand sinking to 125. Leah Poulton and Alex Blackwell then hit brisk fifties to get the job done in just 16.4 overs.It was a virtual final after the first two matches were abandoned. New Zealand failed to counter the swing of Hunter and Perry, struggling to put together solid partnerships after losing the top order early. The sixth-wicket stand of 31 between Liz Perry and Katie Perkins was the highest. Perkins top-scored with 33 off 71 balls.New Zealand had just one success with the ball when Lea Tahuhu dismissed Rachael Haynes for 8. Poulton then smashed 61 off just 53 balls, with nine fours, while Blackwell managed a 40-ball 50. Their 104-run stand came at more than eight an over.

Eden Gardens will not host the World Cup game between India and England on February 27, the ICC has said

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2011In a major embarrassment to the BCCI, the ICC has ruled out Eden Gardens as the host of the game between India and England on February 27. The ICC’s inspection team, which included some of the leading experts in the field of stadium and ground preparation, felt that Eden Gardens would not be ready in time. No alternate venue for the match has yet been named. The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the three World Cup stadiums in Sri Lanka were all given the go-ahead by the ICC.”Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said. “This was no easy decision to take and while it is most unfortunate, it is absolutely necessary.” The Cricket Association of Bengal is having an emergency meeting to discuss the development.Kolkata was to host three other matches in the World Cup, but the status of those games is still unclear. “At this stage no decision has been taken on those matches,” an ICC spokesperson said. The India-England clash was the only chance for fans in Kolkata to see the home side.BCCI president Shashank Manohar said that there was no need for the BCCI to call any emergency meeting, but pointed out that he would consult his “office bearers” to finalise the venue for the match. It is learnt that Bangalore is tipped to be a favourite. “99 % it will be Bangalore,” an ICC source said.The news of switching the match from Kolkata comes just two days after the tournament director, Ratnakar Shetty, waved away worries over readiness of World Cup venues. Media personnel had been barred from a recent inspection of Eden Gardens.The venue, one of the largest cricket stadiums in the world, has hosted some of the highest-profile matches of the previous two World Cups held in the subcontinent including the final in 1987 and the semi-final in 1996. No international matches have been held in Kolkata since the Test between India and South Africa in February as the stadium was being renovated.”All venues had ample time in which to prepare for World Cup matches,” Lorgat said. “We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks.”The Central Organising Committee had provided venues with a deadline of 30 November 2010 to complete all construction work and then to be match-ready by 31 December 2010. An extension was granted by the ICC for five venues, which were again inspected over the past week. Sadly, Eden Gardens in Kolkata was unable to meet the final deadline date of 25 January 2011.”The ICC is still deciding on the new venue for the India-England match. “We will work with the new venue, the tour operators and the ticket distributors to manage the logistical challenges that will surely arise,” Shetty said.

Nathan Reardon has replaced James Hopes as Queensland chase some points from their final away Sheffield Shield game of the season in Hobart

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2010Nathan Reardon has replaced James Hopes, the Australia one-day player, as Queensland chase some points from their final away Sheffield Shield game of the season in Hobart from Monday. Reardon, a batting allrounder, scored 40 in the Bulls’ one-day loss to New South Wales on Wednesday and will be asked to provide more runs against Tasmania.Queensland are second, two points behind Victoria, and will finish the regular rounds with three home matches. The fixture is another chance for Ben Cutting, the right-arm fast man, to impress after he became the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 25 in the outright win over New South Wales on Monday.Tasmania have been forced into a series of changes due to injuries to Brett Geeves (back) and Luke Butterworth (hamstring), while Jason Krejza and Jon Wells have been dropped. Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner, comes in for Krejza and Adam Griffith, Adam Maher and John Rogers join the squad.In South Australia, Mark Cosgrove is back from a wrist injury and Kane Richardson, the Under-19 World Cup representative, has been called up for the FR Cup match against Western Australia in Perth on Saturday. Cosgrove, who missed a couple of Twenty20 fixtures, is also joined by Peter George, who comes in for Shaun Tait while he is with Australia’s Twenty20 side. Western Australia have made four changes with Ben Edmondson, Steve Magoffin, Mitchell Marsh and Adam Voges selected in the 12-man squad.Queensland Sheffield Shield squad Ryan Broad, Nick Kruger, Wade Townsend, Lee Carseldine, Glen Batticciotto, Nathan Reardon, Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Simpson (capt), Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Cameron Boyce, Chris Swan.Tasmania Sheffield Shield squad Ed Cowan, Rhett Lockyear, George Bailey (capt), Alex Doolan, Dan Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Adam Maher, John Rogers, Brendan Drew, Xavier Doherty, Adam Griffith, Tim Macdonald.South Australia FR Cup squad Daniel Harris (capt), Michael Klinger, Cameron Borgas, Mark Cosgrove, Tom Cooper, Aaron O’Brien, Daniel Christian, Tim Ludeman (wk), Gary Putland, Kane Richardson, Peter George.Western Australia FR Cup squad Wes Robinson, Luke Ronchi (wk), Marcus North (capt), Mitchell Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Adam Voges, Liam Davis, Aaron Heal, Michael Hogan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson.

The Asia Cup final went down to the wire as Tilak calmly helped India chase down 147

Alagappan Muthu28-Sep-20253:17

Which Indian spinner had the biggest impact?

India blinked. They were 20 for 3 chasing 147. Their world-beating batting line-up was panicking as Pakistan came at them – this time for every reason because there was a title on the line.A collapse of 9 for 33 had left Salman Agha’s men with no room for error and for the most part they coped with it. They got rid of Abhishek Sharma early. That sent jitters through a middle-order that was upended to accommodate Shubman Gill.A straightforward chase was going pear-shaped. And Tilak Varma felt all of this out in the middle. The quiet of the stands. The belief among the Pakistan players. The doubts of a billion people back home. Somehow he absorbed it all and produced a really special half-century.Concentrating as hard as he had to, there wasn’t a single moment through the innings where Tilak showed emotion. But once it was done, he yelled, he punched, he made little heart signs with his hands and basked in the glory of winning India their ninth Asia Cup title.

Farhan’s opening salvo

This entire Asia Cup has been a referendum on Pakistan’s decision to move on from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. There is credence to the theory that they do not push hard enough when they bat up the order, and the powerplay is not a time to be shy.Sahibzada Farhan went for his shots early•Getty Images

Sahibzada Farhan took that to heart and although he didn’t always come up with the goods, he never stopped swinging. A series of slogs took him to 26 off 21. And those same series of slogs – when they started connecting – brought him 50 off 35.

The Pakistan collapse

Farhan and Fakhar Zaman were able to put one of India’s bankers – Kuldeep Yadav – under pressure. The left-arm wristspinner’s first two overs went for 23. That prompted Suryakumar Yadav to turn to Varun Chakravarthy, whose mystery Pakistan have just not been able to solve. As if on cue, he took down both of Pakistan’s top scorers. Farhan and Fakhar were the only two to cross 15.On the back of Varun’s incisions, his team-mates came into their own. Axar Patel took two wickets in back-to-back overs. Kuldeep took three in one single over. Pakistan were 107 for 1 with 44 balls to play. They were bowled out with five balls remaining. A large part of their innings involved the batters going for slogs. In the front 10, they either made good contact or just plain missed. So just one wicket fell. In the back 10, the big hits were all mis-hits. So nine wickets fell.

Tilak’s method

Where all his team-mates tried to force the issue, Tilak found ways to trust himself. He was 24 off 26. But he didn’t seem to care. Early in his innings, he hit a back foot punch though extra cover for four off Ashraf. There was no pace on that ball. The only way he could find the boundary was if he timed the ball perfectly. And for that to happen, he had to have the measure of this pitch down pat. He did.Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube’s brisk stand lifted India•Getty Images

That confidence fuelled the rest of his innings, reminding him that he needn’t over-exert himself. India had to settle for either singles or dots through the eighth and ninth overs of the chase as Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub stuck to the basics – keeping the stumps in play and asking India to take risks if they wanted to score quickly. Tilak rose to that challenge but even then, he was careful to go after the full one, the one that he could get to the pitch of and negate the turn. All that good work meant even with long-on in play, the ball went for six.In the 15th over, Tilak did another cool thing. With wickets falling around him, he had shown he was ready for a fight. In rebuilding India’s innings with barely a false shot, he showed he was in the zone. Now, seeing Haris Rauf running in, he showed a mind for problem-solving. He had seen how hard it was to hit with pace off the ball. Now that Pakistan were offering pace, he took full toll. Seventeen runs came from that 15th over and changed the complexion of the game. From needing 64 off 36, India needed 47 off 30.

Dube cameo

India were without their first-choice seam-bowling allrounder. Hardik Pandya was nursing a quad niggle and couldn’t make the XI. Shivam Dube did, after resting the last game. He was responsible for two absolutely vital sixes. The first of those showcased his spin-hitting ability as he tonked Abrar down the ground. The second exemplified how well he reads the game. He had faced, and watched from the other end, as Ashraf in the 19th over, tried to hide the ball outside off stump. So when he got back on strike, he indulged in an exaggerated trigger movement across his stumps to get closer to the ball and launch it over wide long-on. Dube contributed 33 off 22 to a momentum-shifting, match-winning, fifth-wicket partnership that yielded 60 runs off 40 balls. He also had to open the bowling for the first time in any format of cricket, finishing with 3-0-23-0. It was a splendid day’s work.

The finish

These three India-Pakistan games have taken place under the shadow of far greater events. The two countries were in military conflict earlier this year. The two teams have not shaken hands. The two captains have even been avoiding eye contact. Rauf was fined for making gestures that seemed to point to those cross-border tensions. Jasprit Bumrah used the same gesture – hand pointed down, arcing to the floor – to give it back to Rauf after bringing down his stumps with a yorker.Tilak Varma celebrates a tense victory•AFP/Getty Images

The highly charged atmosphere that has been taking focus away from the cricket now added to it. The two coaches – Mike Hesson and Gautam Gambhir – would not accept being left on the sidelines, sending out messages to help the teams as the equation grew tighter. 30 off 18. 17 off 12. 10 off 6.With eight to get off five, Tilak launched a six over square leg – once more showcasing just how well he had grown accustomed to tough batting conditions and Rauf once again falling short by putting pace on the ball. Everything that happened after that will be turned into a meme. Tilak making the heart sign. Rinku Singh haring off into the distance. Gambhir banging a desk. This was an India-Pakistan classic worth the 41-year wait both teams needed to make the final of the Asia Cup.

The TV umpire checked the delivery for height and, according to the new ball-tracking technology, the ball would have passed the batter below his waist

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-20243:16

Explaining the new technology for tracking no-balls for height

The new Hawk-Eye technology to determine no-balls for height came into play during Virat Kohli’s dismissal in RCB’s chase against KKR at Eden Gardens on Sunday.Kohli was out for 18 off 7 balls in RCB’s chase of 223, caught and bowled off a high full toss from Harshit Rana in the third over, having played the ball well outside his crease. It was a slower delivery that seemed to be dipping on the batter, even though it was above the waist height when Kohli made contact with it.The TV umpire Michael Gough checked whether the delivery was legal for height and, according to the new Hawk-Eye ball tracking technology, the ball would have passed the batter at 0.92 metres from the ground if Kohli was upright at the crease. The height of Kohli’s waist had been measured beforehand at 1.04 metres, which means the ball would have passed below his waist had he been on his crease and not outside it, making it a legal delivery.Kohli was unhappy with the decision and was seen expressing his displeasure to the on-field umpire, along with the non-striker Faf du Plessis, who also thought it should have been a no-ball for height.To remove the subjective element in adjudicating no-balls above the waist this season, the IPL had introduced technology to measure the height of the ball as it passes the batter at the popping crease. That is then matched against the toe-to-waist height of the batter when in an upright position, which is measured and recorded in advance. If the height of the ball is higher than the recorded height of the batter’s waist, then it is declared a no-ball. Otherwise it’s a fair delivery.In this case, the projected trajectory of the ball would have taken it 0.12 metres below Kohli’s waist had he been upright on his crease.”Obviously, the rules are the rules,” RCB captain du Plessis said after the game. “Virat and myself at that stage thought that possibly the ball was higher than his waist. I guess they measure it on the popping crease.”In those situations, you’ll always have one team that’s happy and one team that doesn’t feel like it’s quite the right decision. But that’s just how the game works.”

India’s captain says his bowlers struggled to protect the short square boundaries in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-20223:43

Moody’s advice to India – Set a brand of cricket, then pick players accordingly

India just didn’t turn up with the ball. This was Rohit Sharma’s immediate diagnosis after their ten-wicket defeat in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England in Adelaide. Chasing 169, England romped home with 24 balls left to play, as Alex Hales and Jos Buttler dominated India’s bowlers from start to finish.”I thought we still batted pretty well at the back end to get to that score, but we weren’t good enough with the ball,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “It was definitely not a wicket where a team could come and chase down [that target] in 16-17 overs. But yeah, these things happen. Like I said, with the ball we just didn’t turn up today.”Buttler set the tone for England in the first three balls, threading Bhuvneshwar for a pair of fours past the diving point fielder. It was the start of a bowling effort where India struggled to prevent England from accessing the short square boundaries at Adelaide Oval.Related

• 'India have to consider playing overseas T20 leagues'

• Tacky pitch and old habits haunt India in semi-final flop show

• Dravid: Difficult to let Indian players play overseas T20 leagues

• Moody: India were 'very conservative and lacked intent' in the first half of their innings

India scored only 100 runs in their first 15 overs, before Hardik Pandya’s late fireworks powered them to a competitive total. In those first 15 overs, India only scored 64 runs square of the wicket (backward point, covers, forward square leg and backward square leg as per ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs) from 46 balls. England, in their first 15 overs, smashed 98 off 54 balls square of the wicket.This could have meant either that India’s top-order batters failed to maximise the short square boundaries, or that India’s bowlers didn’t bowl the right lines and lengths, or both. Rohit suggested that the bowlers offered England too much width.”I thought when Bhuvi bowled his first over, it swung a little but not from the right areas,” Rohit said, when asked whether there was less swing than normal for Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep Singh with the new ball. “We wanted to keep it tight, not give room, we looked at Adelaide pretty well, we know where the runs are scored. Square of the wicket is what we were quite aware of, and that’s where all the runs went today. Keeping it tight is something we spoke of but from there if the batsman plays a good shot we’ll take it. But that is something that didn’t happen today and that is a little disappointing.”This defeat meant India had lost the World Cup semi-final each of the last four times they had reached that stage – the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups and the 2016 T20 World Cup before this one. Rohit said India’s players had the experience to handle the pressure of a knockout game, but were “a little nervy” nonetheless on this occasion.”When it comes to the knockout stages, it’s about handling that pressure,” he said. “It depends on individuals as well. You can’t really go and teach how to handle pressure. All these guys have played enough cricket to understand that. Yeah, I mean, look, lot of these guys when they come out and play in the playoffs in the IPL and all of that, it’s a high-pressure game, some of these guys are able to handle that. When it comes to the knockout stages, it’s all about handling that pressure. Holding yourself a little bit and keeping calm. I thought the way we started off with the ball was not ideal. That shows we were a little nervy to start off with the ball, but again we’ve got to give credit to those openers as well, they played really well.”

Each win now worth 12 points, a draw worth four points and a tie worth six points

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jun-2021The five-match Pataudi Trophy between England and India starting August 4 will kick off the second cycle of the World Test Championship. That series along with the Ashes, in December, will be the only two series comprising five Tests in the second WTC cycle, spanning August 2021 to June 2023.Australia’s tour of India, in 2022, is the only four-Test series in WTC 2. Beyond that, there are seven three-Test series and 17 series comprising two Tests. The ICC has not yet decided the schedule and the venue for the final.Like the first WTC cycle, played between 2019 and 2021, the second edition will see each of the nine Test teams playing a total of six series: three home and three away. These bilateral series were finalised by the Full Member Boards in 2018 before the ICC locked them into the 2019-23 Future Tours Programme. None of the series that were cut short of postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the first WTC cycle, will be carried forward into the second cycle.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The big-ticket series will once again be split among the Big Three of India, England and Australia. The rest of the six countries will lock horns in series comprising two or a maximum of three Tests each.England will play the most Tests (21) in WTC 2 followed by India (19), Australia (18) and South Africa (15). The inaugural WTC winners New Zealand will play only 13 matches, similar to that of West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Bangladesh are the only country among the nine contestants to play two matches in each of their six series in WTC 2.Points System – 12 for a win, 4 for draw, 6 for a tie
To ensure the discrepancy in matches does not hurt the teams’ WTC points tally, the ICC has decided to allot each match the same number of points. Under the proposed system, which is set to be ratified at the next chief executives’ committee meeting, each match in WTC 2 will be worth 12 points. A draw will be a third of that, four points. while a tie will earn each team six points. Teams will also be penalised for slow over rates – one point docked for every over they fall behind.Getty Images

In a chat with ESPNcricinfo recently, ICC’s acting chief executive officer Geoff Allardice had expanded on the change in the points system between the two cycles of the WTC.”Instead of each series being worth the same number of points, 120, irrespective of whether the series is played over two Tests or five Tests, the next cycle will see each match being worth the same number of points – a maximum of 12 per match. Teams will be ranked on the percentage of available points they won from the matches they have played. The aim was to try and simplify the points system and to allow teams to be meaningfully compared on the table at any point, though they may have played differing numbers of matches and series.”

Jack Wood, a young left-arm wristspinner, has also earned his first contract

Andrew McGlashan24-Jun-2020Queensland could be able to field a formidable batting line-up in the early stages of next season with current and recent internationals jostling with up-coming state talent.Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne should be available until the Test summer starts and will join captain Usman Khawaja, Matt Renshaw, Bryce Street and Sam Heazlett among the top-order options as well as 20-year-old Max Bryant who made his first-class debut late last season, although the depth will be needed when Burns and Labuchagne depart.Street has earned his first full contract after having a rookie deal last year following a solid start in Sheffield Shield cricket where he made 489 runs at 37.61 with his ability to bat long periods of time standing out as he scored two centuries, both coming against Western Australia. Two weeks before his first-class debut he made the highest individual total in Australian 2nd XI cricket with 345 against Victoria.Khawaja will be looking to prove to the Australia selectors that he warrants a recall to the Test side after he was dropped during last year’s Ashes and subsequently lost his central contract in April. Renshaw, meanwhile, has drifting down the national pecking order after a promising start to his Test career.”I think the biggest thing for me is making sure I’m consistently scoring runs, and if I am no-one can drop me and if I bang the door down they have to pick me, and I’m doing well for my state and winning cricket games,” Khawaja said. “That’s the most important thing, but in the end there are somethings you can control and some things you can’t control and I’ve learned that from a long experience of playing cricket, being dropped, I’ve been dropped probably more than anyone has I reckon, that’s playing at the moment.”Batting has been Queensland’s weakness in recent seasons and they have the lowest collective batting average in the last two summers – albeit conditions at the Gabba can be challenge – although last summer’s return of four individual hundreds was an improvement on 2018-19 where they managed just one hundred in the Shield.”We’re pleased that Joe and Marnus have pushed up into the Australian ranks and know that Usman still has much to offer to the national set-up,” coach Wade Seccombe said. “It has been a different pre-season for the group and this summer will no doubt provide us with some unique challenges, but it also presents some exciting opportunities for us all.”Jack Wood, a 23-year-old left-arm wristspinner, is another handed his first full contract after impressive club and 2nd XI returns.Cameron Gannon, the leading wicket-taker in the Shield last season, has moved to Western Australia and Charlie Hemphrey has dropped off the list and moved to Glamorgan in county cricket.Queensland squad Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Joe Burns*, Brendan Doggett, Blake Edwards, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne*, Nathan McSweeney, Michael Neser, Lachlan Pfeffer, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Jack Wood*CA contractRookies Corey Hunter, Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Matthew Willans, Connor Sully

With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul not around, India might want to try out Shubman Gill at No. 3 in the first T20I

The Preview by Ankur Dhawan05-Feb-20192:48

Pant can take the game away very quickly – Dhawan

Big Picture

After a hard-earned win in the final ODI in Wellington underscored India’s domination over New Zealand in the format – in a World Cup year at that – what value can a T20I series hold for the visiting side?

Watch India v NZ live

Followers in the United States can watch the first T20I live on ESPN+

For one, India haven’t yet won a T20I match in New Zealand, losing the series 2-0 in 2009, the only previous time they played the format in the country. Secondly, the old chestnut: winning is a habit. It might be worth revisiting, especially since India have the core of their ODI team for the T20Is.In the last two years, most teams have chopped and changed their openers, but India, along with England, have used the least number of players for the two spots. With good reason too, as their top two – three actually – have been the most prolific in the world in this period. Although with both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul out of the squad, for different reasons, the No. 3 position is vacant, and that’s cause for excitement with the back-up talent India have.While New Zealand will hope the change of format helps them turn things around after an underwhelming ODI series, their recent record isn’t the best. They have only won two of their last seven T20I series, and were whitewashed in the UAE by Pakistan not too long ago. Among the three formats, New Zealand are at their lowest, No. 6, in T20Is.They also go into the series against India without top-order stalwart Martin Guptill, meaning Kane Williamson might have to open the innings. But they will expect the batsmen in the mix to raise their game, and use these matches to rediscover their best with the World Cup not too far away.

Form guide

New Zealand (completed matches, most recent first) WLLLLIndia WLWWW

In the spotlight

After Kohli talked him up, Shubman Gill scored just nine and seven in his two ODI appearances. But those were tough conditions that tested even the more accomplished players. Ravi Shastri has since attributed the failures to Gill’s eagerness to play shots, besides clarifying that the team has a lot of time for a talent like him. With Kohli and Rahul away, India may want to try Gill at No. 3, which should give him a chance to prove that there is more to him than met the eye in the Hamilton and Wellington ODIs.New Zealand lost the ODI series against India 4-1•Getty Images

Kane Williamson will likely promote himself to open the batting alongside Colin Munro in the absence of Guptill, but he goes into the series with an average of just over 32 in his last ten 10 ODI innings. Williamson has opened the batting in 27 out of his 54 T20I appearances, averaging 38.52 in that position as opposed to an overall average of 31.64. Furthermore, New Zealand have gone on to win 17 of those 27 matches. Good portents there.

Team news

India could have a few interesting calls to make. MS Dhoni is around, unlike the last time India played T20I cricket, in Australia. So does he slot in, as is likely? If he does, who goes out, assuming Gill gets in too? Or does Gill sit out? Similarly, Hardik Pandya was missing in that series in Australia, and might walk into the XI here.India XI (likely) Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya/Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep YadavApart from Guptill, New Zealand are also without Trent Boult, but the squad is brimming with exciting all-round talent. James Neesham, who played the Wellington ODI and looked in good batting form, was named a late replacement for Guptill, and could be a key cog in the wheel.New Zealand XI (likely) Kane Williamson (capt), Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Ross Taylor, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson/Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at Westpac Stadium in Wellington remains a mystery, with its tendency to behave contrary to its appearance. The last T20I at the ground was a high-scoring affair, where the hosts defended 196 by just 12 runs against England. Dew could play a part, since it’s a night game, and the ball should slide on to the bat, as it was in the latter part of New Zealand’s chase in the final ODI.

Stats and trivia

• India haven’t lost any of their last ten bilateral T20I series
• India have lost only one of the 12 T20s when captained by Rohit Sharma

Quotes

“Without knowing just yet, there’s probably a number of guys that potentially could play that role, there’s number of power players that could potentially move up the order, or it could be me”
“Tennis ball drills are for repetitive skill training, it helps with muscle memory, today we were using tennis balls to get used to swing