Nagpur Pitch Report: Who Will Benefit – Batsmen or Bowlers? India vs New Zealand First T20 Preview

The first match of the five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. Here’s a detailed look at how the pitch is expected to play and which side might gain an advantage.

Series Context
India and New Zealand recently concluded a three-match ODI series. Now, the focus shifts to T20 cricket, with the five-match series starting on 21 January in Nagpur. This series will serve as an important preparation for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup, beginning on 7 February. It also offers an opportunity for both sides to finalize their ideal playing XI combinations.

Nagpur Pitch Report
The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium pitch traditionally offers more assistance to bowlers, particularly spinners. However, the surface maintains good bounce, providing some support to batsmen as well.

In T20s played here so far, the team batting first has won 8 out of 12 matches, while the team chasing has won only 4. This suggests that the pitch tends to slow down in the second innings, making scoring runs more challenging. Teams winning the toss might prefer to bat first. The average first-innings score at Nagpur in T20s is 146 runs.

India Squad for the First T20
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (for first three matches), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Ravi Bishnoi.

New Zealand Squad for the First T20
Mitchell Santner (Captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Jack Foulekes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Beau Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi, Christian Clarke.