After a disappointing end to the World Cup 2022, Team India under the leadership of Hardik Pandya will kick start its bilateral contest against New Zealand on November 18 (Friday) at Sky Stadium in Wellington.
While couple of seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, R Ashwin, and Md. Shami have been rested for the tour, a relatively younger squad has been trusted against a quality squad of New Zealand. Both the sides were knocked out of the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia and will look to forget that when they face each other.
Speaking of the head-to-head records, India holds upper hand on the Kiwis as they have won 11 games out of the 20 T20Is played between both oppositions. Meanwhile, the BlackCaps have bagged victory in nine games. Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be eager to register its fourth straight win as Indian captain in the shortest format of the game.
Studded with couple of match-winners in the squad, series openers are expected to be a blockbuster clash in Wellington. However, rain might play a spoilsport as there is a very high chance of rain at the time of match.
According to the weather reports for Wellington on Friday, heavy rain is predicted in the New Zealand capital, and there are high chances that the match could be washed out. The weather forecast predicts close to 80 per cent of rain in the evening, with 75 per cent of humidity. During the match, temperature is likely to fluctuate from 17 ° C to 19 ° C.