Jet-lagged India face tough New Zealand test in Christchurch T20I opener

Days after a rain-hit 2-2 home draw with the West Indies, a jet-lagged India take on New Zealand in the first of five T20Is at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday. Shreyas Iyer's side has had just one training session in New Zealand.

A jet-lagged India will face a strong New Zealand in the first of five T20 internationals at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday (October 22), days after their home series against the West Indies ended in a 2-2 draw with the Bengaluru decider washed out. The schedule has given the visitors little breathing space since their Asian Games gold-medal campaign in Japan ended on October 3.

Captain Shreyas Iyer's side has managed just one training session in Christchurch, and Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are missing again -- Bumrah has been rested with the Test series in mind, while Hardik has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup final in March. Only four batters in the touring line-up have previously played T20Is in New Zealand.

The hosts, however, have reason for confidence, having won their most recent Test and ODI series in India and fielding most of their first-choice players. Mitchell Santner's side will rely on pace options including Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne, while India bank on their batting firepower -- Ishan Kishan needs seven runs to pass Suryakumar Yadav's calendar-year record of 1,164 T20I runs.