New Zealand vs India 2019: 3 reasons why India could lose the T20I series

The Indian team is on a high after a string of positive results in its recent overseas essays. First, they came out unscathed from the Australian tour, having made history by becoming the first Asian side to win a Test series down under and also coming out victorious in the ODI bilateral series.

Yes, the Australian side was not as strong as it used to be, but the same cannot be said about the New Zealand side. The Black Caps are probably as good as any limited overs side in the world currently, and India managed to win the ODI series against them without much difficulty.

The teams will now battle in the T20s starting from Wednesday. Though this outing may be inconsequential given the fact the ICC World T20 is scheduled only in 2020, it will give an opportunity for both teams to test their bench strength.

India will be without the services of their regular skipper Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma will lead the team in his stead. However, there are a few areas of concern for Rohit as he embarks on this tricky series.

Here are three reasons why India might find it difficult to win the T20 series against New Zealand.

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#3 History is against them in this format

England v India - 1st ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

India have found it very difficult to beat the Black Caps in the T20 format. In fact, their winning percentage against them is just 25%; they have won just 2 of the 8 games played between these two great cricketing nations.

This winning percentage is the worst for the Men in Blue against any given opposition in this format.

This may be a chance for the Indian team to set the record straight against the hosts, but if history is any indication, they are in for a world of trouble.

#2 Pace attack is relatively inexperienced

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India will be without the services of regular pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami for the three-match T20 series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only experienced bowler in the side, and he is expected the lead the pace attack.

Bhuvneshwar will be supported by the young Khaleel Ahmed and Siddarth Kaul. Both of them have had good stints in the IPL and the domestic circuit, but international cricket is a different ball game altogether.

Bhuvneshwar has not been as effective at the death lately as he used to be in the past, which may be a cause of worry, but his experience will be valuable for the team. The next available pace option is the all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

The pace bowling may be a liability in this series for India, and could be one of the reasons why the team fails to win the three-match essay.

#1 Top order's struggles against the moving ball

They both need to be consistent

India may have won the last ODI, but it was not without a few jitters. In the 4th ODI, on a spicy wicket, India were bundled out for mere 92 runs, which is their lowest team total in the last 10 years of ODI cricket.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan failed to give good starts to the team in the absence of Virat Kohli, which may be a cause of worry to the team management ahead of the World Cup 2019.

This is the T20 format, which may not be testing like the ODI format for both of them. But the duo need to keep themselves in good touch ahead of the extravaganza.

If the openers provide a good start, it would also allow the middle order to cash in. But if they don't, the inexperienced lineup might be exposed.

The skipper and Dhawan have a great T20 record, but if they fail here it could lead to a series loss for India.