New Zealand's strongest playing XI for T20I series vs India
Mitchell Santner leads the Black Caps in a five-match T20I series starting October 22.
New Zealand will field a strong squad for the five-match T20I series against India starting October 22. Mitchell Santner will captain the Black Caps in this series, leading a team that retained thirteen members from their T20 World Cup squad earlier this year.
Rachin Ravindra's absence through shoulder injury is the most significant and creates an opening in the top order. Ravindra suffered the injury during a promotional shoot and requires around six weeks of rehabilitation, ruling him out of the series.
Top order - Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Mark Chapman
Finn Allen opens the innings alongside Tim Seifert, who keeps wicket. Allen provides the aggressive start New Zealand requires at the top of the order in the shortest format. The opening partnership forms the foundation for the Black Caps' batting approach in this series. The pair have been one of the most successful opening partnerships in the format.
Mark Chapman is expected to slot in at number 3 with Ravindra's absence, and is set to be a dominant presence in the middle order. Chapman is highly regarded in the format for his quick scoring and will be expected to play a similar role.
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