Young opener Ishan Kishan replaced an injured Suryakumar Yadav, while out-of-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made way for Shardul Thakur as India look to bounce back against a formidable New Zealand in the T20 World Cup Super 12 clash on Sunday. Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bowl at the Dubai International Stadium. 

Suryakumar was forced out with a lower back spasm, with explosive southpaw Kishan now given the opening slot alongside KL Rahul. Skipper Virat Kohli also confirmed misfiring all-rounder Hardik Pandya has kept his place in the playing eleven. 

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Speaking at the toss, Kohli said he would have loved to bowl as well, but said his side have taken a few learnings from the last game. 

“We need a solid start and have wickets in hand to get those extra 20-25 runs are the learnings from the last game. We do have the bowling line-up to take wickets, but when you don’t have runs on the board one partnership can take the game away from you,” Kohli said.

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Kohli said the prolonged break after the Pakistan game was “ridiculous”. 

“We are playing twice in 10 days. Too long a break, but yeah, the guys have recovered well. Had good practice sessions, are itching to go out on the field, which is a good thing. When you have so many days off you want to get on the park and get into the groove. It’s another opportunity to come out and correct the mistakes.”

Meanwhile, Williamson said the dew factor will be important during the chase, adding he was hoping there is movement in the surface. He also confirmed just one change for his side, with Adam Milne replacing Tim Seifert. 

Playing XIs:

India: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), James Neesham, Devon Conway (w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult