After the conclusion of the ODI series, India will now shift focus to the T20I leg against New Zealand, which gets underway on Wednesday. The series serves as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on Feb. 7.
New Zealand will take the field with renewed confidence after clinching their first-ever ODI series win in India. The visitors have also received a boost with captain Mitchell Santner returning from injury, alongside other key players such as Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, comes into the series with a largely settled T20I setup but faces a few injury concerns. Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar are both unavailable, with Varma having recently undergone surgery for an abdominal issue and Sundar recovering from a side strain.
Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20Is, paving the way for Shreyas Iyer's return to the squad, while Ravi Bishnoi has been named as Sundar's replacement. However, despite his inclusion, Iyer is likely to miss out on a place in the playing XI. Suryakumar Yadav has said that Ishan Kishan will bat at No. 3 in the opening T20I, leaving limited room in the middle order.
With less than three weeks to go before India begin their World Cup title defence, Suryakumar Yadav will also be keen to lead from the front and rediscover his attacking best in the shortest format.
The five-match T20I series will run until January 31.
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India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Date And Venue
The opening T20I of the five-match series between India and New Zealand will be played on Jan. 21 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Time
The IND vs NZ 1st T20I match will begin at 7 p.m. IST.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Live Telecast
The 1st T20I between India and New Zealand will be telecast live on the Star Sports network.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Live Streaming
Fans can live-stream the 1st IND vs NZ T20I on the JioHotstar app and website, provided they have an active subscription.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Playing XI (Likely)
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (C), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
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