(Cricket news) India are all set to take on the T20 World Cup runners up New Zealand in the first of 3 T20Is. The match will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur and is likely to be a high scoring one with heavy due coming into play in the 2nd innings. The toss will be crucial as both the sides will be looking to bowl first and chase down the target.

India have a lot of inexperienced players who they might want to test out. Having said that, New Zealand are a formidable team despite the absence of Kane Williamson.  Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid wouldn't want to start their era by losing a home series. Here is India's ideal playing XI

1) Openers: KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma

Despite not performing in the first 2 games the pair had a decent T20 World Cup. The Indian squad have Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer as the other opening options but Rahul and Rohit are captain and vice captain who are likely to open the batting. There is an outside chance that either of them bats in the middle order but it would be best for the team to start then up top and leave the experimentation for later.

2) Middle order: Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant

Surya Kumar Yadav didn't have a good World Cup but has been very good in the limited opportunities given to him at the international stage. With Virat Kohli not in the side it is a good opportunity for SKY to bat at number 3 and put in some good performances. Shreyas Iyer would've been guaranteed in the T20 World Cup squad and the playing XI if not for his shoulder injury which is why he could only make it to the standby list. He is back now and is expected to be slotted straight back into the playing XI. Iyer's flexibility in the middle order will be a huge asset to the team. Rishabh Pant will once again don the gloves in the shortest format. The decision to rest Pant for the 2 Tests against New Zealand is an indication that he will play all 3 matches

All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel

It is a great opportunity for the Indian side to groom Venkatesh Iyer in the middle order to try and have a plan B if Hardik Pandya's form and fitness doesn't improve. All Indian fans will be hoping they Iyer gets more opportunities than Shivam Dubey and Vijay Shankar. Axar Patel is a direct replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. These two are the only All-rounders in the Indian squad. The batting becomes very deep with Axar Patel batting at 7.

Spinners: Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal

Along with Axar Patel, Ashwin and Chahal are very likely to be the spinners in the squad unless the conditions are too fast bowler friendly. Chahal's absence was clearly felt in the T20 World Cup and now he has to cement his place in the side. Ashwin's return to T20Is has been welcomed and extended. The finger spinner will be looking to continue his good performance and get back to playing all three formats of the game.

Quicks: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj

India has a plethora of options in the seamers department. It wouldn't be too surprising if Rohit and Dravid use all the seamers at their disposal. The rest given to Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur presents a great opportunity for the likes of Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel. The likely combination for the first match is Bhuvneshwar and Siraj. Bhuvneshwar being the senior player who has to play in order to get back to his best. Siraj had a good IPL but him playing well in the T20Is could also give him confidence which will benefit India in the upcoming Tests. 

Bench: Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad.

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