Team India crossed swords with the New Zealand cricket team in the three-match ODI series very recently. The Men in Blue won all three games of the series under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
Rightly so, they inflicted a 3-0 ODI series whitewash on the Black Caps. Meanwhile, the action shifts to the T20I series, with the first game slated to be played at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.
The T20I opener is just a couple of hours away from going all guns blazing. It remains to be seen which team will get the better of the other to draw the first blood in the series.
Now in this article, we will take a look at the three Indian players who played in the T20I series against New Zealand in 2022 but aren’t part of the squad for the 2023 series.
1. Rishabh Pant
India’s young wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant played the T20I series against the Black Caps in New Zealand in November. Rishabh Pant played as an opener in the second T20I but could score only six runs.
He was again promoted as an opener in the third T20I but could aggregate only 11 runs. Pant is not part of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand as he met with a career-threatening car accident on December 30.
2. Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel was one of the players who was part of the three-match T20I series against New Zealand cricket team in November. He played the third T20I against the Black Caps wherein he took one wicket to his name. The Indian selectors didn’t include Harshal Patel in the T20I squad for New Zealand T20Is.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the very few pacers who has an incredible economy rate in T20Is. He has maintained an economy of 6.96 in the shortest format. He played the second T20I against New Zealand in New Zealand at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui and took one wicket to his name. However, he is not part of the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
