India Versus New Zealand 1st T20I Match Prediction: Who Will Win?

India will be looking to bounce back after their poor performance in the T20 World Cup and no better opportunity then the short tour by New Zealand which begins with the first of three T20I games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. The game marks the return of international cricket to India since May and Jaipur’s first international match in eight years.

Keep reading to find out our best betting sites for cricket and our cricket match prediction of the first T20I match that kicks of New Zealand’s tour of India.

Previous Matches

With the Kiwis having beaten India in the semi-finals of the 2019 50-over World Cup, in the World Test Championship final earlier this year, and then eliminated them from the T20 World Cup there will be quite a lot of pride and more than a point to prove by India that they are a force to be reckoned with. The World Test Championship finals of course saw New Zealand win with eight wickets. Could this be a turning point in Indian cricket, with the first series with new coach Rahul Dravid and T20 captain Rohit Sharma?

New Zealand, by contrast, exceeded expectations in the T20 World Cup by reaching the final having come into the competition off the back of five T20 series defeats in a row, including a 5-0 home demolishing by India last year, and will be keen to continue their current good form in the short format game.

India Team Preview

New captain Rohit Sharma is looking to brush aside any frustrations from their defeats in the T20 World Cup, particularly the eight wicket loss to New Zealand, and rely on India’s fantastic track record at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with eight wins in twelve ODIs in the last eight years.

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul will remain as openers. Shreyas Iyer will enter again at number four. Replacing Virat Kohli in position three is likely to be Suryakumar Yadav. IPL stars Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, and Avesh Khan may feature in the opening game. In the absence of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar would likely lead the pace bowling.

New Zealand Team Preview

Trent Boult will miss the T20I series as well as Colin de Grandhomme. Both players are making this decision to opt out due to fatigue. Devon Conway will be replaced by another batsman, Daryl Mitchell, with this decision occurring after Conway broke his hand in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Mitchell is standing out as a top performer so far and his versatility will be useful in this tournament.

Kayne Williamson, the Kiwi star in the T20 final showed why he is such a batting talent, so we will definitely be watching out for him in the upcoming matches. Adam Milne who was outstanding with the ball in the recent game against India will be looking to further impress.

Toss Prediction

Looking at the history of this stadium, in the 47 ODIs that have played, the team to bat first has won 15 times. We believe that whichever team is lucky enough to win the toss will elect to bowl first, to use the pitch and dew to their advantage later in the evening.

Pitch Conditions

Playing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, located in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is to be expected that heavy dew will be settling within an hour of the match starting at 19:00 local time, which will make it difficult for both team’s fielders to grip the ball.

However, this high-scoring pitch could lead to an interesting game, and it’s worth noting that for this particular pitch, the boundaries are bigger. Taposh Chatterjee, the central zone pitch curator, mentioned that he has ensured the pitch will not get slow due to protection of overuse from previous matches.

Our Match Prediction

Whilst it is looking like a fairly even match between the two teams, we think India can pull ahead for a win here and the online cricket betting sites seem to agree.