India are set to kick-off their white-ball tour of New Zealand with the first T20I in Wellington on November 18. Both sides are coming off a semi-final defeat in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. For India, it is the start of a new era. On the other side, the Kiwis will aim to strengthen their core to build a stronger T20 unit.
Ground Details and Team Combination
Wellington’s Sky Stadium last hosted a T20 international 20 months back during the bilateral series between Australia and the host nation in March 2021. Also, the venue has not hosted any T20 cricket in the meantime.
In the four T20Is the venue has hosted since 2022, the batting average has been 21.9 alongside a run-rate of 8.1, both the least among all venues in the country. And three of those four T20Is have been won by the side batting first. Thus, you can call it a bowling venue. However, the venue also saw Australia mount a total of 208 during the three T20Is at this venue in March.
Spinners have picked 53.8% of wickets in the four T20Is mentioned above. It is a high proportion that you generally don’t see in T20 cricket. Hence, according to data, it is one of the most spin-friendly venues across the globe. Although, the sample size is fairly low.
Suggested teams
While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captaincy suggestions
For small leagues: Devon Conway ( c ), Suryakumar Yadav (vc)
For grand leagues: Tim Southee ( c ), Harshal Patel (vc)
Stats That Matter
> Suryakumar Yadav is the number 1 ranked T20I batter. He has 1040 runs in T20Is this year, the most by any batter, and that too at a strike-rate of 185.7
> Devon Conway averages 64.2 in home T20Is as compared to 34.6 away.
> In T20Is, Conway averages 97 against off-spinners at a strike-rate of 149.1. If he bats long, there is a good chance he can neutralize Washington Sundar.
> Tim Southee averages 21.1 with the ball this year, his second best over the last over the last eight years. He struck at 16.7 runs per wicket at the Sky Stadium which is the best bowling average for him among all New Zealand venues.
> Arshdeep Singh’s bowling average of 18/3 is the best for an Indian seamer in T20Is this year.
Grand League Punts
> The Sky Stadium has the second best bowling average at the death among all New Zealand venues (15.6). Hence, Harshal Patel has good chances of doing well in this fixture.
> Kane Williamson averages 25.7 at the Sky Stadium, his lowest among all T20I venues in New Zealand. Thus, he can be replaced with Finn Allen f you want to make bigger bucks.
> Shreyas Iyer has had troubled times in T20I cricket of late but has displayed decent white-ball form heading into this series. He can be a good selection to amplify you fantasy fortunes.
Here are the Top 10 Criclytics Projections
Probable XIs
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson ( c ), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne
India: Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya ( c ), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh