India vs New Zealand: The first match of the five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand will be played today, Wednesday, January 21, in Nagpur. Both teams will clash at the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium. Both teams will look completely different in the T20 format. Suryakumar Yadav will captain the Indian team, while Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand. New Zealand won the three-match ODI series 2-1. The Indian team will now be looking to avenge that defeat in the T20 series.
This series is the last opportunity for both teams to prepare for the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7th. Since becoming captain in 2024, Suryakumar Yadav has led India to remarkable results. The team has won eight consecutive T20 series and boasts a 29-5 record since winning the World Cup title, including two Super Over victories.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has arrived in India looking to make history of its own. In the past year, they have achieved unprecedented series victories against India in both Tests and ODIs. New Zealand has played four T20 series in India so far, winning one series 1-0 in 2012. However, New Zealand came very close to winning the T20 series on two other occasions, with both the 2017 and 2023 series going down to the final match, where India ultimately prevailed 2-1.
This series will be a challenging one for Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav personally, as he is out of form, and getting back into form before the World Cup is crucial for the Indian team. The 2025 season has been Suryakumar's toughest yet, with him scoring just 218 runs in 19 matches at a strike rate slightly above 123, and failing to register a single half-century.
For New Zealand Mitchell Santner is back to captain New Zealand's white-ball team, which also includes Rachin Ravindra, Matt Henry, and Jacob Duffy. India will bring back Jasprit Bumrah, as well as the two all-rounders who were rested for the ODI series, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. With this combination of players, India looks like an even stronger T20 team.
New Zealand will likely not rush Michael Bracewell back from his calf injury, but they could bring back Glenn Phillips, who missed the previous T20 series, into their playing eleven. Glenn Phillips will probably replace James Neesham in the New Zealand playing XI.
Ishan Kishan's Comeback in Indian Team
Indian T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that Ishan Kishan will return to the Indian team for the first T20 International against New Zealand. Kishan will bat at number three for India in this match.
Ishan Kishan last played a T20 match for India on November 28, 2023, against Australia. After a long period away from the team, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has earned his place back in the national team with consistent impressive performances in domestic cricket.
India Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand Squad: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kristian Clarke, Zakary Foulkes.
Nagpur Pitch Report
The pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur is generally more helpful to bowlers. Spinners, in particular, tend to find more assistance in Nagpur. However, the pitch also offers good bounce, which benefits the batsmen as well. To date, a total of 12 T20 matches have been played in Nagpur.
A total of 13 T20 International matches have been played here so far, with the team batting first winning 9 times, while the team chasing the target has won 5 times. In all the T20 matches played here, the influence of spin bowlers increases as the game progresses, and the large size of the ground makes it even more difficult for batsmen to hit long shots against them.
Broadcast and Streaming Details
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Match will be live telecast on Star Sports Network and live streaming of the match will be available on JioHotstar app and website.
