The T20I series opener between India and New Zealand in Ranchi saw India choose to bowl after winning the toss.
The decision was made due to the expected dew factor, with India's captain Hardik Pandya noting that he could already feel some dew at 6:30pm. India made a strategic change in their team selection, bringing back left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav into the T20I XI, who had recently made an excellent comeback in ODIs and Tests, resulting in legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal sitting out. Additionally, India decided to go with Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan as openers, instead of Prithvi Shaw, with Gill being the only anchor in the batting line-up. New Zealand made some changes to their squad as well, with Mark Chapman and Ish Sodhi coming in and Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner and Lockie Ferguson as the quicks. This match marked Kuldeep Yadav's first T20 international in more than five months.
India: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand: 1
Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl
Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt.), 8 Blair Tickner, 9
Ish Sodhi, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Lockie Ferguson