Team India eye winning start to T20Is against New Zealand

After what turned into a disappointing outing for Team India in the ODIs, the Men in Blue will be gunning for revenge as they lock horns with New Zealand for the first T20I in Nagpur.

This series will be crucial for India as they head to the World Cup from here. With a win percentage of 72 since becoming the World Champions, the Men in Blue will be hopeful of keeping their stunning form intact.

With a fine mix of youth and experience, the Men in Blue will be eager to dish out a fine show from hereon. One of the primary reasons why fans will be gripped to the screens is how Suryakumar Yadav fares in the series. With his numbers fairly on the leaner side in recent times, that will be major worry for India. If SKY can turn things around with the bat, it will be a major boost for the Men in Blue.

Another important addition to the Indian team was that of Ishan Kishan. The southpaw finished as the leading run-scorer of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. With 517 runs from 10 innings, Kishan will be a pivotal part of the Men in Blue in the series. In the bowling department, the presence of Jasprit Bumrah will also add to the strength of the Indian side against a formidable foe in the Kiwis.

Venue Watch:

The pitch in Nagpur will be conducive for pace and bounce. The batters will be getting true value for their shots while good discipline from the seamers can be hard to put away. The surface might tend to assist the slower bowlers in the first half of the game but as it progresses, with dew coming in, it will be a lot easier for the batters to take charge.

Match details:

Match - India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I

Venue – VCA Stadium, Nagpur

Date – 21st January, 2026

Time – 7:00 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played - 25

India - 12

New Zealand – 10

Squads:

India:

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

New Zealand:

Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wk), Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi, Kristian Clarke (first three T20Is).