New Zealand vs India, Christchurch T20I: Key player matchups
What's the story
After a 2-2 draw against West Indies at home, India will take on New Zealand in the opening T20I of the five-match series on October 22. India will play for the first time in New Zealand since their 2022/23 tour, where they won the T20I series 1-0. While India are without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, NZ will field a full-strength XI. Here are the key player matchups.
#1
Finn Allen vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
New Zealand have their dynamic openers, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, back.
Although Allen hasn't played a T20I in New Zealand since March 2025, he is among the feared Powerplay batters. His T20 strike rate at present is 175.85.
Meanwhile, India will bank on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's experience in this phase.
According to Cricinfo, the right-arm seamer has dismissed Allen twice across five balls in T20s.
#2
Abhishek Sharma vs Lockie Ferguson
The dangerous Abhishek Sharma is in the form of his life. He has a strike rate of 248.93 against New Zealand in T20Is.
Lockie Ferguson can be New Zealand's best bet against the left-hander.
According to Cricinfo, the express pacer has dismissed Abhishek twice across 25 balls in T20Is.
Abhishek has a strike rate of 176 in this battle.
#3
Shreyas Iyer vs Mitchell Santner
The battle between the two captains will also take center stage in Christchurch.
While Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer is among the best players of spin bowling, his counterpart Mitchell Santner knows how to contain runs in the middle overs.
According to Cricinfo, Santner has restricted Iyer's strike rate to 110.9 in 10 T20 innings. He has also dismissed the Indian captain once.