Christchurch [New Zealand], October 21 (ANI): India will look to maintain their strong run in T20I cricket when they take on New Zealand in the opening match of the five-match series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, October 22.
Touring New Zealand is a challenging proposition for India, with the team visiting the country less frequently than England or Australia. The short turnaround between series adds to the challenge, leaving India with limited time to adapt to the conditions ahead of the opening T20I.
India’s hectic T20I schedule has seen the team travel across Ireland, England and India, followed by Japan for the Asian Games, before returning home for a closely contested series against the West Indies.
With the series ending in a 2-2 draw on October 17, India have quickly turned their attention to New Zealand, where the five-match T20I series is set to begin on October 22.
New Zealand’s conditions are expected to pose a fresh challenge for the Indian side, with the hosts’ pace-friendly pitches likely to test the visitors’ adaptability and preparation.
India and New Zealand will face off in a five-match T20I series from October 22 to November 1. The opening two matches will be played in Christchurch, followed by the third T20I in Wellington. Auckland will host the fourth match, while the series finale is scheduled to take place in Hamilton on November 1. The Indian team struggled in Ireland and England, losing both series as they found it difficult to cope with the seam-friendly conditions.
However, India bounced back by clinching the gold medal at the Asian Games. The team now head into the five-match T20I series against New Zealand on the back of a 2-2 draw against the West Indies.
New Zealand also head into the series after a closely contested T20I assignment against Bangladesh, with the series decider washed out by rain, leaving the three-match series tied 1-1.
India and New Zealand share a fierce modern-day cricket rivalry, with the 2019 World Cup semi-final remaining one of the most memorable encounters, as the Men in Blue suffered a heartbreaking defeat.
New Zealand later made history by becoming the first team in more than a decade to defeat India in a Test series on Indian soil. However, India responded by defeating the Black Caps in the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup final, adding further intensity to the rivalry.
India and New Zealand last faced each other in a bilateral series in January 2026, when the Black Caps toured India for a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series.
While New Zealand clinched the ODI series 2-1 after winning the final two matches, India dominated the T20I leg, securing a 4-1 series victory. The Men in Blue won the first three T20Is before New Zealand claimed the fourth match, but India bounced back to seal the series with a 46-run win in the final game in Thiruvananthapuram.
Varun Chakaravarthy is set to return to action after another injury-related spell on the sidelines, although his inclusion in the playing XI could prove challenging if India opt for three frontline seamers in the series opener.
Naman Dhir impressed during the T20I series against the West Indies, but could make way if India decide to field two seam-bowling all-rounders in Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube.
For New Zealand, the absence of Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra opens up a spot in the top order for Devon Conway. The hosts have six seamers in their squad to choose from, while Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell provide additional spin options, giving the team considerable depth in their bowling attack.
One of the notable talking points ahead of the series is the return of seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to India’s T20I setup. The experienced seamer last represented India in the format in November 2022 and brings a wealth of experience with the new ball, particularly his ability to generate swing.
Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer welcomed his return, highlighting the value of having an experienced campaigner in a bowling group that has featured several new faces in recent months.
“Bhuvi brings a lot of experience to the team. And we were lacking that a little, especially after IPL, we had a lot of new bowlers,” Iyer said.
“But in T20, if you see his career graph in the last two years, he has also won IPL, so he has a very good idea about how to dominate this format,” he added.
India’s squad also includes young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose opportunities will be shaped by the team’s existing options at the top of the order. Iyer emphasised the importance of ensuring the youngster remains comfortable within the group while gaining valuable exposure to overseas conditions.
“He is very young and he has more years to get the opportunity. It’s not like he can walk in right now because our openers are also scoring consistently and they have also won the (T20) World Cup. So, if you look at it, when he is coming overseas, he will get a fair idea of how to play on these particular wickets,” Iyer said.
While the frequency of matches presents its own challenges, Iyer believes the team can use the experience to their advantage as they prepare for a new set of conditions in New Zealand.
“It’s fun at the same time to be traveling, playing and getting accustomed to new conditions. We just want to put the reasons aside and see to it about how we would be planning to win,” Iyer concluded.
Squads:
New Zealand Squad: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner.
India Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. (ANI)
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