India will commence their five-match T20 International series against New Zealand with the first game in Christchurch on Thursday, where they will confront the challenge posed by New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy.
Duffy is regarded as one of the world’s top fast bowlers and boasts an outstanding record on home soil in T20Is. He has claimed 40 of his 62 total wickets in 20 matches at an impressive average of 12.27 and an economy rate of 7.25. All five of his four-wicket hauls in this format have taken place in New Zealand, including his best figures of 4/14 against Pakistan in March last year.
Against India, Duffy has played eight T20Is, taking seven wickets at an average of 38.00 with an economy rate of 10.78, his best figures being 2/27. While India have generally coped well with his pace, line and length compared to other teams, the 32-year-old has never previously faced India on home soil.
Duffy, who represents Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, is approaching a landmark of 200 T20 wickets, having taken 198 wickets in 174 matches with a bowling average of 25.32. His career includes seven four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls, with best figures of 5/32.
The squads for the series are as follows:
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner.
India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.