India succumbed to a shocking 2-1 defeat at the hands of a depleted New Zealand side in the ODI series, marking New Zealand’s maiden ODI series triumph in India. It came 14 months after New Zealand won their first-ever Test series on Indian soil, whitewashing the Asian giants by 3-0.
The two teams will now meet in a five-match T20I series, starting on January 21 in Nagpur. Not only is this currently India’s best format, but the Suryakumar Yadav-led unit is unarguably the best T20I team in the world and will enter the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as firm favorites on home soil as they look to defend their world T20 crown.
India have won all their T20I series/tournaments since the 2024 T20 World Cup, but the Kiwis will pose more of a mental challenge than perhaps they would on the field.
India have a stable T20I team right now, with as many as seven players certain of their position. Despite his lean form with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy has been terrific, and he will lead India in the tournament next month.
Sanju Samson is back as an opener, with Shubman Gill axed, and Axar Patel is the new vice-captain. Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy remain three of the best T20 cricketers on the planet, while Arshdeep Singh is among the best T20 bowlers over the last three years, but his place in the teams under Gautam Gambhir has surprisingly been uncertain.
In the IND vs NZ T20I series, India are without Tilak Varma for at least the first three matches and with Washington Sundar for the entire series. Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi have been added to the squad.
Ishan Kishan to play over Shreyas Iyer:
Suryakumar confirmed on the eve of the 1st T20I that Ishan Kishan will replace Tilak in the side as Kishan is part of the T20 World Cup squad, while Iyer will be on the bench.
Shivam Dube also got his place, which means Harshit Rana got excluded.
With Jitesh Sharma excluded, Rinku Singh is back in the T20I setup. Since September, Rinku has featured in only two T20I matches and faced only one ball, which he hit for the winning four in the Asia Cup final. In bowling Arshdeep Singh got picked by Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped.
IND vs NZ: India Playing XI For 1st T20I In Nagpur Today – Predicted
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Axar Patel (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
IND vs NZ: What is the time of India vs NZ 1st T20I?
The 1st T20I between India and New Zealand will be played on Wednesday, January 21, at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The match has a scheduled start time of 7:00 PM IST/1:30 PM GMT.
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