India vs. New Zealand, World T20: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Hosts India will open the World Twenty20 main draw with an enticing clash against New Zealand in Nagpur on Tuesday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur, India

Date: Tuesday, 15 March

Start time: 7:30 p.m local time (2 p.m GMT)

Live on: Channel 9 and Fox Sports (Australia), Ariana TV Network (Afghanistan), BTV (Bangladesh), ESPN Star and Star Sports (India), SkySports NZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports 2 (United Kingdom), Willow TV (subscription, USA and Canada), PTV Sports and Ten Sports (Pakistan), SuperSport (South Africa), OSN Sports (Middle East)

Weather:  According to AccuWeather.com, we've got the all-clear on the weather front. Temperatures during the day will creep up to around 35 degrees Celsius, and things will cool down to a balmy 22 degrees in the evening.

Overview

India and New Zealand have played just four T20s against each other, and on all four occasions, New Zealand have won. But there is something different between those fixtures of the past and the one that looms. Brendon McCullum played in all of those and contributed significantly to New Zealand's total.

There is a new heir to McCullum's big-hitting throne, and that is Kane Williamson. In 30 T20 matches for the Black Caps, Williamson has scored 844 runs at an average of 36.69, with 638 of those runs coming in the last two years.

Since 2014, Williamson has average 45.57 in the T20 format, and all the half-centuries he has scored have come in the last two years.

It's fair to say, then, that a lot of responsibility rests on his shoulders, especially when it comes to big fixtures like the one against India.

As hosts, India are favourites to win the tournament, and having recently won the Asia Cup and beaten Australia away from home in T20s, there is plenty of reason for them to feel confident about their chances.

With the crowd behind them and all of their key men having found some form, India are favourites heading into the opening clash. However, things change quickly in T20 cricket, and it takes just one freak innings or bowling spell to turn things around.

The two sides are well-matched on paper, and if the weather holds out, the opening match should delivery some nail-biting entertainment, even without the swagger of McCullum.

Key players

India

When facing a team with big hitters such as New Zealand, it's all about curbing the flow of runs, and nobody has been better at doing that for India recently than Ravichandran Ashwin.

New Zealand

While Kane Williamson is sure to contribute with the bat, expect Adam Milne to be a handful with the ball. He has taken 17 wickets in his last 10 matches at an average of just 13.70.

While India's flat tracks aren't exactly conducive to fast bowling, Milne showed that you can still take advantage after nabbing two for 36 in New Zealand's warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka.

Squads

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pawan Negi, Mohammed Shami, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh, Hardik Pandya

New Zealand: Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Trent Boult, Nathan McCullum, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee

All information obtained firsthand, unless otherwise stated.