Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal play footvolley with New Zealand players as rain plays spoilsport [WATCH] 

Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal participated in a footvolley game with New Zealand cricketers after the rain stopped play in their T20I game in Wellington on Friday, November 18.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) uploaded a fun video that showed Chahal and Samson teaming up with Kiwi bowler Ish Sodhi against Tim Southee and other New Zealand players.

BCCI posted the video on Twitter, with the caption:

“Team India and New Zealand team enjoy a game of footvolley as we wait for the rain to let up.”

Both teams reached the semifinals of the recently concluded T20I World Cup in Australia. India was beaten by eventual winners England while New Zealand's journey was ended by Pakistan.

Playing in their first T20 game after the multi-nation tournament, both India and New Zealand will hope for a rain-curtailed game rather than a complete washout.

Chahal will also be eager for the game to proceed so he can showcase his bowling skills after being benched for the entirety of the T20I World Cup.

Samson, who was left out for the last few bilateral series along with the T20 World Cup, found his way back into the current matchup

Meanwhile, Samson has returned to the Indian squad after missing out on bilateral home series against Australia and South Africa and the showpiece T20 event in Australia.

The Rajasthan Royals batter last represented India during their tour against Zimbabwe. Samson recently led India A against New Zealand A, emerging as the highest scorer with 120 runs in three 50-over games. He will target his spot as the backup keeper in the Indian side, ahead of Ishan Kishan.

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“Play with freedom and fearlessness” – VVS Laxman’s message to Team India in New Zealand

VVS Laxman has been assigned the ask of being the head coach for the Indian team in the absence of Rahul Dravid. The former Indian batter wants his team to play with freedom and fearlessness in New Zealand.

"In T20I cricket, we need to play with freedom and fearlessness and we have such players that can go out and express themselves. The message given to them by the captain and management is that they bat fearlessly but also keep conditions and situations in mind and create strategies accordingly."

Hardik Pandya, who has been appointed as the stand-in captain in the absence of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, has won all three matches on the international stage as skipper. He also led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their inaugural season.

Praising the all-rounder, Laxman said:

"He is a fabulous leader. We have seen what he has done in IPL. I have spent time with him from Ireland. His presence and work ethic are exemplary. He is a player's captain and is approachable. Players confide in him. He leads by example."

India's tour against the Kiwis consists of three T20Is and three 50-over games. The series, which has started on November 18, will conclude on November 30. New Zealand will play a white ball series in India in January 2023.