India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Probable XI, Top Fantasy Picks, Match Prediction

India and New Zealand are all set to lock horns with each other in the T20I series scheduled to begin in Ranchi. The Men in Blue are coming into the series on the back of a 3-0 cleansweep victory against the Blackcaps in ODIs. India have played as many three T20Is at the venue so far and have emerged victorious in all the three matches. They first defeated Sri Lanka by 69 runs back in 2016, then beat Australia by 9 wickets in 2017 and grabbed a win against New Zealand in 2021. India will be without the services of players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Hardik Pandya will be leading the team in Rohit's absence and the all-rounder has already confirmed that Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan will open the innings for the hosts. Talking about the bowling, Arshdeep Singh is back after a small break from international cricket and it would be interesting to see if Pandya goes in with both Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. New Zealand who would be led by Micthell Santner will look to win the first match of the tour. Here we take a look at the probable XIs and the top fantasy picks for this game.