You might want to give some leeway to the Indian cricket team players if you find their body language not up to the mark in the IND vs NZ 1st T20I as some of them could still be jetlagged following the long flight from India to New Zealand.
Add to it the small gap between the 5th T20I of the India vs West Indies series and the beginning of the India vs New Zealand T20I series – the washed-out T20I in Bengaluru was on October 17 – and it all makes up for an ideal opportunity for the Kiwis to begin the series with a victory.
Captain Shreyas Iyer will be under pressure. Having replaced the T20 World Cup-winning skipper in Suryakumar Yadav, Iyer oversaw series defeats in Ireland and England and a 2-2 drawn series against the West Indies at home, which India were favorites to begin with.
For the IND vs NZ T20I series, Iyer will have the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Chakravarthy at his disposal. How to form the bowling attack with Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prince Yadav, and Mayank Yadav also in the squad.
Another conundrum for Iyer-Gambhir will be the identity of the all-rounders. Axar Patel seems a sure starter, while Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Naman Dhir offer important attributes. Reddy and Dube both were ordinary against the West Indies, with each of them getting dropped at least once. But Dhir left a huge imprint with both bat and ball.
One headache fewer for the Indian team management for the India vs New Zealand 1st T20I is the opening combination, as both Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson reeled off big hits against the West Indies. This would mean that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to bide more time on the bench.
When is the India vs New Zealand 1st T20I?
The IND vs NZ 1st T20I will be played on October 22. The match is scheduled to start at 12:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Where to watch India vs New Zealand?
The India tour of New Zealand 2026 will be available for live streaming on the Sony Liv app and website. On television, Sony Sports Network channels will broadcast the tour.
India’s top five is very much set in stone: Abhishek, Samson, Kishan, Iyer, and Tilak, with Axar, Arshdeep, and Bhuvneshwar also all but certain to be part of the India playing XI in the IND vs NZ 1st T20I. Dhir, following a blockbuster series as an all-rounder, seems like a shoo-in.
It is very likely that Kuldeep finds himself on the bench as Axar, Varun, and Dhir would give enough or more than enough spin overs for New Zealand conditions.
This would leave Dube and Reddy competing for the seam-bowling all-rounder’s position, with Reddy likely to get the nod.
India will have solid fast-bowling alternatives in Prince and Mayank as well.
IND vs NZ: India Playing XI For 1st T20I – Predicted
- Abhishek Sharma
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Shreyas Iyer
- Tilak Varma
- Axar Patel
- Shivam Dube/Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Naman Dhir
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Arshdeep Singh
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