The Indian men’s cricket team is set for a challenging full-fledged tour of New Zealand later this year, with the two sides scheduled to play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests from October 22. The series has already generated significant interest in New Zealand, with tickets selling quickly. India and New Zealand recently faced each other in the T20 World Cup final in India, where the Men in Blue emerged victorious. However, playing against the Kiwis in their own conditions will present a different challenge for the Indian team.
India’s last tour of New Zealand came six years ago, when they completed a 5-0 clean sweep in the T20I series. Since then, both teams have undergone considerable changes, particularly in the shortest format.
India currently boasts several explosive T20 batters, with Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma among those setting the benchmark. However, New Zealand opener Finn Allen has also established himself as one of the most dangerous batters in the format. The right-hander smashed a 33-ball century against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final before carrying his impressive form into the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders.
With several batters competing for the tag of the world’s best T20 player, Allen found it difficult to single out one name. However, when asked about the current standout, the New Zealand opener picked Kishan, who has been in sensational form since returning to India’s playing XI earlier this year.
“There are so many guys who are playing such good cricket at the moment. You’ve got guys like Tim Seifert and things like that who have been whacking it everywhere they’ve been going lately. Again, Ishan, Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma are always scoring runs and smacking it. So, I mean, it’s pretty hard to just pick one. I think Kishan would be up there at the moment. But yeah, it’s a hard question to answer. Just one,” Allen said in an interview with HT Digital.
Kishan was India’s second-highest run-scorer at the T20 World Cup and has continued his impressive run since then. The left-hander has accumulated 281 runs in his last six innings, further strengthening his case as one of the leading batters in the format.
Apart from Kishan and Abhishek, India also has the exciting Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in their ranks. The 15-year-old made headlines during the IPL after scoring 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals and subsequently earned a call-up to the national side. He was also named Player of the Series during India’s T20I tour of Zimbabwe and could feature during the upcoming New Zealand series.
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Allen was full of praise for Sooryavanshi and admitted that the youngster’s natural ability has been impressive to watch.
“He’s obviously incredibly talented. Yeah, it’s pretty unbelievable to watch sometimes. His bat swing and the way he plays are obviously incredible, and I’m sure he’s going to be one of the best ever at T20 cricket, if not the best ever. So, yeah, it’s obviously one of those things, right? I’m glad I’m not a bowler. And yeah, it’s pretty special watching him play sometimes,” said the 27-year-old.
Meanwhile, Allen is looking forward to facing India in the five-match T20I series. The games will be played across Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton, with the New Zealand opener expecting packed stadiums and a high-quality contest.
“There’s always huge excitement around an India series. Fans absolutely love it. As you said, we sell out every game pretty much, which is obviously really exciting for us. And we know what they bring to the table. It’s going to be a pretty exciting series for fans as well. I would think the standard of cricket will be pretty high, and especially coming off the World Cup final, there’s probably a little bit more in it for us boys to try and get one over them, especially in our home conditions. We’ll all be absolutely fizzing for that series, and I can’t wait to get that started,” said Allen.
