After clinching the three-match ODI series, team India will next face New Zealand in a three-match T20I series, the first of which will take place at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on January 27 (Friday).
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As has been the case since the T20 World Cup last year, the T20 side will yet again be led by allrounder Hardik Pandya, with Suryakumar Yadav assigned as his deputy.
The squad will witness the absence of all-format skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with the focus on their workload management ahead of the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup this year. Pacers in Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are also not part of the squad.
The pace battery will comprise of Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, and Shivam Mavi, with Bengal’s Mukesh Kumar also receiving a call-up. In the batting department, Prithvi Shaw has been added to the squad after some consistent performances for Mumbai of-late.
Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, and Ruturaj Gaikwad are the other opening batting options in the squad, apart from Shaw.
JSCA International Stadium Complex Ranchi pitch report
The JSCA Stadium in Ranchi last hosted a T20I in November 2021, coincidentally between India and New Zealand, which the hosts had won by 7 wickets.
Most recently, the venue hosted an ODI between India and South Africa in October last year, and it yet again turned out to be a decent enough pitch for the batters, with the likes of Ishan Kishan (93) and Shreyas Iyer (113) guiding India to a 7-wicket victory.
The nature of the track will remain dry and slow, with the spinners likely to extract decent amount of turn off the deck. As for the pacers, there has not been much assistance for them in the few international matches which have taken place at this venue.
All in all, one should expect a high-scoring contest nonetheless, with dew not likely to make an appearance amidst some pleasant weather conditions.
