Meanwhile, spin bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santouner will lead New Zealand in the match. The first two games were captained by Tim Southee. Southee have been rested by New Zealand in the third T20. Loki Ferguson replaced him on the team.
Under new captain Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid, Indian cricket has been able to start the maiden series with a resounding success. With this series victory, India was able to alleviate some of the fatigue of having to return home from the embarrassment of not even seeing the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup. India are also gearing up for the upcoming two – Test series against New Zealand.
The first T20 match was played in Jaipur. India won the match by five wickets at the end of an exciting run chase. Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant fifty laid the foundation for India’s victory. Surya was also selected as the star of the game. Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer made his debut for India in this match.
India beat the Kiwis by seven wickets in the second T20I at Ranchi. Pacer Herschelle Patel made his debut for India in this match. It was to replace the injured Mohammad Siraj. Herschel won the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance in his maiden match. KL Rahul and Rohit shone with fifty in the match. Rohit has won the toss in the last two T20s.
Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ishant Kishan Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Akshar Patel, Yusvendra Chahal, Herschelle Patel, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wicket keeper), Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Adam Milne, Loki Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Trent Bolt.