IND v NZ 2021: 5 players who might get Team India call ups for New Zealand T20Is

New Zealand will play three T20Is on their India tour.

The Indian team failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2021. The Virat Kohli-led India's semi-final qualification chances became slim pretty fast after they lost their first two matches to Pakistan and New Zealand

The upcoming home series against New Zealand will be a new dawn for the Indian team who will have a new captain and new head coach in Rahul Dravid at the helm for three T20Is to start the assignment off. .

The T20Is will be played on November 17 in Jaipur, November 19 in Ranchi and November 21 in Kolkata.

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This is expected to be a series where the Indian team might try out some fresh faces or give chances to players who deserve a shot at the Men in Blue side who might look to revamp itself after the T20 World Cup debacle.

Here are five such players who can get an India team call up for the T20I series against New Zealand:

AVESH KHAN

Avesh Khan was one of the highlights of the IPL 2021 both in the India leg and the UAE phase as well. He not only bowled with a good pace throughout the tournament but even hit the high 145 kph speeds as well.

He finished with 24 wickets for Delhi Capitals, the most for the franchise in the Indian Premier League and second-most in IPl 2021. Avesh also showed that he had the variations as well, with the knuckleballs and slow balls used at will and strategically.

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He will be a good addition to the ever-growing Indian pace bowling contingent keeping in mind that the next T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played on bouncy surfaces in Australia and India have a tour of South Africa lined up before that.   

MOHAMMED SIRAJ

Many thought that Mohammed Siraj should have been part of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2021. However, he wasn’t picked by the BCCI selectors, and given his exploits in the Test series against England and Australia prior, he was a bit unlucky not to be part of the ICC tournament.

Siraj has been one of the main weapons for Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain in the past few IPL seasons, and picked up 11 wickets apiece in both tournaments (IPL 2020 and 2021). He has the blessing of both speed and variations with the ball and would be beneficial for the Men in Blue, who would be looking for some new changes in the unit.

VENKATESH IYER

Venkatesh Iyer completely transformed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batting outlook in the powerplay as they went from winning just 2 matches in the India leg of the IPL 2021 to reaching the finals of the tournament in UAE.

Iyer was given the license to go after the bowling in the powerplays and to compliment Shubman Gill at the other end and the left-handed did just that. His big-hitting enabled KKR to play freely which led to a renaissance in their performance.

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Given that he can also bowl medium pace, Iyer can be groomed as a backup for Hardik Pandya in the New Zealand T20I series and given enough chances to become a regular member of the Indian squad.  

HARSHAL PATEL

Harshal Patel ended the IPL 2021 with a record 32 wickets to his name and helped the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), reach the playoffs. He was piped to be included in the Indian T20 World Cup squad but missed out much to the dismay of many fans.

Harshal Patel is a veteran of Indian domestic cricket and can hit some lusty blows with the bat as well, something he does for his domestic team Haryana. Harshal showed that, if used properly, he can be highly effective at both the start and in death overs, something that the Indian team can use while preparing for the next T20 World cup 2022.

RUTURAJ GAIKWAD

Ruturaj Gaikwad was the winner of the Emerging Player of the Tournament for the IPL 2021 and also he earned the Orange Cap for the most runs with a haul of 635 for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who also won the IPL 2021, their fourth IPL title.

Gaikwad showed that he could not only hit fours but cranked off 23 sixes in the tournament as well, hitting his maiden IPL century against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

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Though India has some good openers in the mix, it won’t hurt anyone from having one more as the BCCI will look to give rest to some of the stars who have been in bio-bubble life since August last year.

The Maharashtra white-ball captain has been in good form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, with three fifties in four matches thus far. He can be a good addition to the Indian team’s batting lineup going forward.