India VS New Zealand: Five players to keep an eye on during the T20I series

Barely a week after their exit to England, the team is preparing for a white-ball tour in New Zealand, which will see them take on the Black Caps in three T20Is and three ODIs. 

But before the focus shifts to the ODI format, the T20Is will be played – and given the squad consists of many players trying to cement themselves in the team in the future, this should make for exciting viewing. 

Here we pick out five players to keep an eye on during the T20I series. 

Sanju Samson – The man many are clamouring to see become India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman, the Kerala lad has been flirting with a regular spot in the team for a while now. However, due to circumstances beyond his control, he often found himself on the outside looking on. 

However, the fact that Dinesh Karthik seems on the outs and there remain doubts over Rishabh Pant means that Sanju Samson will be chomping at the bits to seize his chance. He’s too talented a player to stay on the fringes forever, but he will need to blow everyone away to be the first choice. 

Shreyas Iyer – One of those players who narrowly missed out on a berth in the T20 World Cup, the Mumbai batsman will be keen to make the most of this chance. His numbers in T20Is are pretty good, but his recent struggles against short balls meant the team management chose to bench him for the time being. 

But he remains a quality batsman and, as he proved in the ODI series against South Africa, a capable player in the right conditions. He was also clearly working hard on the short ball issue and will be keen to show he’s overcome that to put his name in the mix again. 

Ishan Kishan – Another player who narrowly missed out on a berth in the T20 World Cup, Ishan Kishan will be more motivated than Shreyas Iyer simply because when he was dropped, his form had turned a corner, and he was putting in some good displays for the Indian team. 

And again, there’s an opening in the team for a wicketkeeper-batsman, and Ishan Kishan will be keen to make that spot his own, even if that means displacing his 2016 U-19 World Cup opening partner Rishabh Pant to become a regular. 

Umran Malik – The young pacer from Jammu and Kashmir has a raw pace in spades but has proved a tad erratic on the international stage and needs to become more consistent with his lines and lengths. However, the fact that he can regularly clock more than 150 km/h means the team are looking to stick with him. 

He’s been part of India A tours recently and, in conditions that will offer him some help in New Zealand, will want to put his best foot forward to blaze his way into the reckoning before the next World Cup. 

Yuzvendra Chahal – It’s unusual to see a veteran like Yuzvendra Chahal named in such a list, but such has been his rotten luck in recent times that he deserves mention. Despite being India’s premier wicket-taking spinner, he didn’t play a single minute in the T20 World Cup. 

Yuzvendra Chahal is a consummate pro, but even he would be questioning his benching and will be keen to prove that he’s got plenty left in the tank. And that he should be the first-choice spinner for India, come what may, in the next World Cup.