IND vs NZ, 1st T20I: Head-to-head, pitch report & predicted playing XIs

gopi-marisetty — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:31:33 GMT

IND vs NZ, 1st T20I: Head-to-head

India and New Zealand will start their five-match T20I series with the first game on Wednesday, January 21, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. After losing the ODI series 2-1, India will be eager to bounce back and make a strong start in the T20Is.

India has performed very well in T20 cricket in recent years, particularly after winning the T20 World Cup in 2024. Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, the team has not lost a T20I series so far. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India will treat this series as important preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup and will aim to start with a win at home.

New Zealand come into this series with confidence after a comfortable T20I series win against West Indies. However, playing in Indian conditions has always been challenging for them. The Black Caps will have to put up some good performances both from their batters and bowlers if they want to trouble India at Nagpur.

IND vs NZ: Head-to-Head Record (T20Is)

Matches Played: 25
India Won: 12
New Zealand Won: 10
Tied / No Result: 3

IND vs NZ: Pitch Report

The Nagpur pitch usually is very good for batting, with the ball coming easily on to the bat. Big scores are pretty common here, and the batters can play their shots freely once set. Spinners can get some help in the middle overs, especially if they bowl slower through the air. Teams winning the toss may prefer to bat first and put a big total on the board.

IND vs NZ: Predicted Playing XIs

India (IND):

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

New Zealand (NZ):

Devon Conway (wk), Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Bevon Jacobs, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry