New Zealand vs India 2019: 3 key player battles in T20I series
The focus will now shift to the shortest version of the game. The one-day series was one-sided with India winning 4-1 and the visitors will look to continue their dominance in the T20Is. Though they have not lost a series since July 2017, it's likely to be more of a contest. The series starts February 6 in Wellington.
Here are the three player battles to look forward to during the T20 series.
Colin Munro vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Colin Munro had an indifferent ODI series for New Zealand, managing only 70 runs across four ODIs at an average of 17.50. But he will retain the opening slot for the T20Is. Ranked No 2 in the ICC T20I rankings, Munro has the second best strike-rate among batsmen who have scored at least 500 runs. He has three T20I centuries, one of which was against India. He was also recently adjudged the player of the tournament in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Batting at the top, Munro will have to face Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The savvy limited-overs operator possesses a wide range of bowling variations. Kumar will look to swing the ball and if swing is not available, he will vary the pace and use slower balls to challenge the southpaw. Kumar's acuity will be a test for Munro.