India start their tour of New Zealand with the first T20I at the Hagley Oval on Thursday. The two sides have plenty of explosive batters at the top of the order that can put the bowlers under pressure. The bowling could be under pressure once more, as seen during India’s home series against West Indies.
Mitchell Santner was left with a sullen look on his face the last time these two sides met each other. It was the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, which the Indian team won by 96 runs. Kiwis will be hoping for a better outcome this time around since they are playing at home and India have been suspect when playing away in recent times.
India captain Shreyas Iyer would want his top order to fire right from the start to put pressure on the hosts and lay down the marker. The bowling has been given a huge boost with Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning to the team after four years. The 36-year-old will be expected to start the game on Thursday and make use of the conditions that will help swing bowlers.
Details of the NZ vs IND Match
Match: New Zealand vs India, 1st T20I
Date and Time: 22nd October 2026, 12:30 PM IST
Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv App
Hagley Oval Pitch Report
In the last five matches played at this venue, teams batting first have gone on to win the games. Conditions are expected to be overcast, and there is going to be enough breeze for the swing bowlers to make life difficult for the batters. It will be easy to bat in the second half of the day as the pitch flattens out a bit. Both sides will be expected to go in with fast bowlers as the ground doesn’t historically support the spinners. The square boundaries are bigger compared to the straight boundaries, and the average first innings score is between 150-170.
NZ vs IND Head-to-Head
Matches-33
India – 19
New Zealand – 11
Tied Games – 1
No result – 2
NZ vs IND: Playing XIs
New Zealand – Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Mitchell Santner (C), Matt HenryLockie Ferguson, and Jacob Duffy.
India – Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav.
NZ vs IND: Predicted best performers of the match
Best batter – Ishan Kishan
The world number one batter Ishan Kishan has been at the top of his game this year and has already scored over 1000 runs. The 28-year-old began the year with a great series against the Kiwis, and more runs will be expected from him when the Indian side takes to the field on Thursday.
Best bowler – Matt Henry
New Zealand’s charge will be led by Matt Henry, who has picked up 53 wickets from 43 T20I games. He has played four games against India and claimed four wickets so far, but considering that he has good numbers when playing at home, the pacer will be expected to do well at the Hagley Oval.
Who will win the NZ vs IND 1st T20I match?
The first T20I between New Zealand and India will be evenly contested, with a key clash between bat and ball. One can expect the home team, New Zealand, to come out on top thanks to their experience of playing at home and possessing a better bowling unit than the visiting side.