New Zealand will lock horns against India in the first T20I at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Thursday. These two teams had taken on each other in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, with India coming on top in the end to defend their title.
The Kiwis have always been a thorn in India’s flesh and the visitors would look to make a solid start to the long tour. India played in Bengaluru on Saturday and thus they won’t have much time to adapt to the new conditions.
Stats Preview:
Ishan Kishan needs 46 runs to complete 2000 runs in T20Is. He needs nine sixes to complete 100 maximums.
Indian captain Shreyas Iyer needs nine fours to complete 150 boundaries in T20Is.
Abhishek Sharma needs one four to complete 200 boundaries in the T20I format. He needs seven sixes to complete 150 maximums.
Kuldeep Yadav needs two wickets to complete 100 scalps in T20Is.
Indian vice-captain Tilak Varma needs seven sixes to complete 100 maximums in T20Is.
New Zealand opener Finn Allen needs four fours to complete 150 boundaries in T20Is.
Mitchell Santner needs seven sixes to complete 50 maximums. He needs eight wickets to complete 150 scalps.
India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer [c], Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson [wk], Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [wk], Tilak Varma [vc], Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand T20I squad: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner
