Clarke dismissed Virat Kohli twice: Clarke, who dismissed Virat twice, got reward, included in T-20 team
New Delhi. New Zealand has made a slight change in its T20I team for the upcoming five-match T20 International series against India. After an impressive 2-1 win in the ODI series, the Kiwis are hoping for another strong series in India, with their eyes also on the T20 World Cup 2026. Christian Clarke, who made his international debut and performed impressively in the ODI series, has been rewarded and has been included in New Zealand’s T20I team.
New Zealand coach Rob Walter revealed that Clarke has been added to the squad for the first three T20 matches against India, which will be played in Nagpur, Raipur and Guwahati. Some Kiwi players are returning from injury, while Michael Bracewell, who captained the ODI series, also got injured during the third ODI. Bracewell suffered a slight strain in his left calf while fielding, although he has reached Nagpur with the team.
Clarke dismissed Virat twice in the debut series
New Zealand created history by winning the ODI series against India, this was their first ODI series win in India. On paper, the gap between the two teams was huge, as if it was a David versus Goliath clash. While Daryl Mitchell won the Player of the Series award, Christian Clarke played his role well. Clarke became the most successful bowler of the series by taking 7 wickets in three ODI matches. The special thing was which batsmen he dismissed. His first international wicket was of Harshit Rana, who had played a brilliant cameo in the first ODI. After this, in the next two matches, Clarke dismissed Virat Kohli twice, Shreyas Iyer twice, while Rohit Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy once each.
This was a memorable debut series for Clarke. His bowling variety and intelligent strategy also impressed Ravichandran Ashwin. This tall medium-pace all-rounder made excellent use of subtle variations.
Coach praised Clarke highly
At present, there is a lot of movement of players in the Kiwi team, some players are returning from injury, some are joining us directly from franchise cricket and the rest are joining the team after playing the ODI series and Super Smash against India. The coach said that we want to have enough fast bowling options for the first three matches of this series and it is a great opportunity for Christian to spend some more time with the team on his first tour of India. He further said, he displayed his talent brilliantly in the ODI series, but what was most impressive was his ability to remain calm and perform under pressure.
New Zealand’s T20I team against India
Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zac Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevan Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi, Christian Clarke (for first 3 matches)
New Zealand’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
