1st T20I: India take on injury-hit NZ in Nagpur
What's the story
The opener of the five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur. The series, starting on Wednesday, will be India's final warm-up before they defend their World Cup title in less than three weeks. Both teams have been dealt with injuries to key players. Here is the preview of the opening match.
Details
Pitch report and streaming details
The Nagpur pitch is known for its balanced nature, providing early support to batters while gradually favoring spinners as the game progresses. The red soil surface usually offers good bounce and pace initially, allowing fast bowlers to extract movement during powerplay overs. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (7:30pm IST).
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, India are just slightly ahead of New Zealand in terms of head-to-head record. The two sides have clashed in 25 T20Is, with India winning 14 of them. This includes a couple of Super-Over wins. NZ have won 10, while one resulted in a tie. The Black Caps have so far met India 11 times in T20Is on Indian soil. While the hosts emerged winners seven times, NZ clinched the other four matches.
Team news
Kishan to bat at three for India
With Tilak Varma being unavailable, Ishan Kishan will bat at three for India. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed the same in the pre-match press conference. Notably, the southpaw has been selected ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the XI. In a blow to NZ, Michael Bracewell and Adam Milne have sustained injuries ahead of the game. James Neesham has pulled out of the series due to Bangladesh Premier League commitments.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
New Zealand (Probable XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (c), Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi. India (Probable XI): Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
Performers
A look at the key players
Having hammered 859 runs at a strike rate of 193.46, Abhishek Sharma was on a roll in T20Is last year. Varun Chakravarthy ended 2025 as India's highest wicket-taker (T20Is), having claimed 36 wickets at 13.19. Jacob Duffy scalped 35 T20I wickets last year as his average of 15.08 was the best among full-member team pacers with at least 20 wickets. Daryl Mitchell was all over the Indian bowlers in the recent ODI series, clocking scores worth 84, 131*, and 137.
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