India and New Zealand meet in first T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Thursday

India and New Zealand will play the first T20I of their multi-format series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, starting at 12:30 PM IST / 8 PM local. The match opens the tour and is scheduled for an evening slot at the venue.

India arrive having drawn a home T20I series against West Indies, a series in which West Indies batsmen heavily troubled India's bowling unit. Conditions in New Zealand are expected to be different from those in India, with pitches said to favour pacers; Bhuvneshwar Kumar is named to lead India's pace attack. Varun Chakravarthy has returned from injury and will compete with Kuldeep for a place in the playing XI. New Zealand have selected a full-strength squad and, according to the preview, their combination currently looks stronger than India’s as they aim to challenge the world champions on home soil.

The two sides have met 31 times in T20 cricket: India have won 19 matches, New Zealand 11, and one match ended in a tie.

Weather forecasts for Christchurch on Thursday evening call for partly cloudy conditions with a temperature around 20°C and average humidity of 54%. The Hagley Oval surface is described as offering good bounce and pace, providing significant assistance to seam bowlers and expected to stay consistent through the game.

Historically at this ground the average T20I score is 159, and the chasing side has won more matches than the team batting first.

This first T20I kicks off the multi-format series between New Zealand and India; for live updates, confirmed playing XIs and further pre-match information follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps and their WhatsApp and Telegram communities.