‘We have plans for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’: Santner sends warning to India

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner stated his team has devised specific plans for young Indian batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of their five-match T20I series starting Thursday. Santner acknowledged the aggressive batting style the 15-year-old displayed in the IPL and noted that England targeted Indian batters with short-pitched bowling during their recent tour, though regular openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have kept Sooryavanshi out of recent lineups.

Santner also highlighted the return of veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar after nearly four years away from India's T20I squad. The Kiwi skipper expects Kumar to thrive in New Zealand's swinging and bouncy conditions, especially with the new ball, while noting that both squads will need full team contributions across the five matches.