India open their T20I series against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch with a travel-weary side and only one practice session behind them.

The first match starts at 12:30 PM IST, or 8:00 PM local time. It is on the Sony Sports Network and streams on SonyLiv.

Hagley Oval offers pace and bounce, and seamers should get help early on. The average T20I score at the ground is 159.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 36, returns to international cricket after four years, following consecutive title-winning IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Arshdeep Singh is set to partner him, with Prince Yadav or Varun Chakaravarthy likely to complete the pace attack.

Captain Shreyas Iyer will keep Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as openers, so 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may have to wait.

"Our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup," Iyer said.

India lead the head-to-head with 19 wins to New Zealand's 11, plus one tie, in 31 T20Is.

New Zealand are without Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra and Zak Foulkes. Captain Mitchell Santner has as many as six seamers to pick from.

Read the full article for the probable XIs and more on the series.