No favourites in curtain raiser
One of the most eagerly-awaited bouts in New Zealand over the last few seasons gets underway tomorrow with the first of two Twenty20 internationals
Match facts
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Start time 19.00 local (06.00 GMT)
The Big Picture
One of the most eagerly-awaited bouts in New Zealand over the last few seasons gets underway tomorrow with the first of two Twenty20 internationals. New Zealand Cricket has branded the famed Indian cricketers as "Rockstars" and for good reason, given the hefty monetary benefits the board stands to gain out of every match day. The Indians also bring with them the tag of Twenty20 world champions, which sets up this two-match leg as an exciting start to what promises to be a fulfilling summer.Twenty20 form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)India - WLWWW
New Zealand - LWTLL
Team news
Both teams decided not to name their XII on the eve of the game. New Zealand understandably couldn't because they're waiting on the fitness of two key players, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram. Taylor, who suffered a hamstring injury during the Chappell-Hadlee Series, showed positive signs of a recovery at the nets and his captain Daniel Vettori was pleased with what he saw. He said a final decision will be taken tomorrow. Oram is set to make his long-awaited comeback, but only as a batsman.Watch out for ...
Yusuf Pathan: The older of the Pathan brothers made audiences sit up during the IPL with his big hitting, but his transition into the Indian team hasn't been smooth. However, on the tour of Sri Lanka he began to find his feet as a useful batting allrounder. In the Twenty20 in Colombo, his solid blows against the spinners turned the match in India's favour after Sri Lanka, at one stage, looked to take the game away. The smaller grounds in New Zealand could be a huge advantage for him.Pitch & conditions
The forecast is for morning showers but it's expected to remain cloudy through the day. Dhoni said the weather has been fairly chilly, and it will be interesting to see how quickly India adjust.Stats and trivia
- This is India's first Twenty20 in New Zealand.
Quotes
"There are a lot of guys who have played under ten games but a lot of those were won, so when you have that feeling within the team coupled with some experienced players, it makes for confidence about their performances. We're hoping to continue on that, the likes of the Mark Guptills and Neil Brooms being fantastic in the short time they've been there and we're hoping they can capitalise on what they've done in a short period of time."Vettori has faith in his inexperienced troops.
Dhoni on the how New Zealand stand to gain with John Wright's expertise.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo