| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
Dambulla: New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor won the toss and opted to bat against India in the opening match of the tri-series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla, Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
India will be without in-form batting veteran Sachin Tendulkar and spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh, both of whom have been rested, and injured opener Gautam Gambhir in the series.
Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan remains sidelined with a shoulder injury and Ishant Sharma will miss the opener due to ankle injury.
On the batting front, Virender Sehwag will once again shoulder the responsibility of providing the sort of cracking starts that India have come to expect of him and Gambhir's absence, Dinesh Karthik will give him company in the opening slot.
The New Zealanders, on the other hand, are in their familiar dark-horses role, more so in the absence of inspirational skipper Daniel Vettori, who has skipped the series to be with his wife for the birth of his second child.
Also missing from the Kiwi line-up is the explosive duo of Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum.
Destructive batsman Ross Taylor has been handed the leadership role for the series and it would take a lot for him to inspire an inexperienced squad.
The Kiwis would be looking forward to experienced all-rounder Jacob Oram, vice-captain Kyle Mills and Scott Styris for inspiration.
