India vs New Zealand Playing 11: Will KL Rahul take No 4 spot if Vijay Shankar misses out?

The Indian cricket team is set to begin it’s World Cup preparations with the first warm-up game against New Zealand on Saturday. The first couple of warm-up games saw Afghanistan defeat Pakistan and South Africa claim a convincing win over Sri Lanka on Friday. Along with the India – New Zealand contest, hosts England will also take on Australia in the second practice game on Saturday.

The Men in Blue had secured a convincing 4-1 victory over New Zealand in their own home earlier this year. But the series against Australia – right before the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 12 – saw Virat Kohli’s men beaten 3-2 at home. The Kiwi encounter in the warm-up match, hence, would show how the Indian side has come forward from the Aussie upset as well as from the IPL mode.

As far as the team news is concerned, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are expected to open for once again, with Virat Kohli at No. 3. An injury to Vijay Shankar during the net session on Friday could see KL Rahul being deployed as the No. 4 batsman. Kedar Jadhav is also yet to regain full fitness which means Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni could fill the No. 5 and No. 6 spots.

Hardik Pandya will be of much value, especially considering the form he was in during the IPL for Mumbai Indians, but whether the captain would experiment with him higher up in the batting order, remains to be seen.
With Hardik at No. 7, only four more bowlers can make the playing XI. Whether it will be a 2 spinner – 2 pacer combo or 1 spinner – 3 pacer, it would be a big call to make. The nature of the pitch could also see India fielding 6 bowlers, including Hardik while sacrificing a batsman. Ravindra Jadeja could come in if that happens to give an extra batting option.

With that being said, the Indian team might go with Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav as the spin bowling options while the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami would slot in right behind.

India’s Likely Playing XI vs New Zealand: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand Playing XI vs India: Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson(c), Tom Blundell(w), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee