Pandya resumes T20I captaincy as New Zealand seek first win of tour
Gill and Kishan are set to open for India, as Shaw bides his time and Gaikwad is ruled out of the series with a wrist injury
Big picture: Gaikwad injured, Shaw set to wait his turn
Rohit Sharma has no plans of giving up on T20Is yet. Rahul Dravid is "not aware" if India have any plans of split captaincy; asked about this during a press conference before the third ODI, he asked the reporter to check with the selectors. But for now, this is Hardik Pandya's team. Since the 2022 T20 World Cup, this will be the third successive T20I series where he will be leading India.
Form guide
India WLWTW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand TLLWL
In the spotlight: Shubman Gill and Finn Allen
Shubman Gill has had an excellent start to his ODI career but he is only three games old in T20Is, having made his debut during the Sri Lanka series. He had a good IPL for Gujarat Titans last year; he was the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament but played more of an anchor's role, scoring at 132.32. He didn't have a great time during the Sri Lanka series, and usually takes his time to cut loose. For now, he has the backing of the team management but Shaw will be hot on his heels, especially if he slips up.
Team news: Lister in line for debut
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal could be fighting for the same spot in India's spin attack.
Pitch and conditions: Win the toss and bowl
Ranchi is a bowl-first venue, with chasing teams winning 16 of the 25 T20 games hosted here. With dew expected to play a big role in the second innings, captains should have no hesitation in opting to bowl after winning the toss, unless they want to challenge their bowlers. It should be a cool evening, with the temperature hovering around 15°C.
Stats and trivia: Santner the allrounder
- India have won all three T20Is played in Ranchi so far, including one against New Zealand in November 2021.
- The year 2022 was Santner's best in T20Is with both bat and ball. In 18 matches, he scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 143.01, and picked up 23 wickets at an economy rate of 6.63.
- In six T20Is, Malik has picked up nine wickets, but he has an economy rate of 10.90.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo