Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to bat at No. 3 as India elect to bowl against New Zealand

Christchurch, Oct 24 : Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will bat at No. 3 after India won the toss and elected to bowl against New Zealand in the second T20 International at Hagley Oval here on Saturday.

India made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Sooryavanshi in place of the injured Ishan Kishan, while pacer Prince Yadav replaced Mayank Yadav. Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the changes at the toss.

Explaining the decision to bowl first, Iyer said the possibility of dew later in the evening influenced the team's choice. He added that India would look to maintain their aggressive approach while remaining proactive on the field.

"Everyone is in good shape and space. It's important to maintain aggression, but we need to be proactive," Iyer said.

Sooryavanshi's promotion to No. 3 will be one of the major highlights of the contest as India look to capitalise on the young batter's inclusion in the playing XI.

New Zealand, meanwhile, made one change, drafting in Jacob Duffy for Adam Milne as part of their rotation of fast bowlers ahead of a busy Test cricket schedule.

Captain Mitchell Santner said his team remained confident despite falling short of expectations in the previous match. He added that the players had used the break to recharge and prepare for the second encounter.

"We know we are a good team. Even though we were a bit off the ball, we still fought hard," Santner said.

Playing XIs:

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav.

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy and Lockie Ferguson.

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