Shreyas Iyer, Mitchell Santner
Tilak Varma and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bring plenty of attacking options, they will need time to adjust to the pace and seam movement expected in local conditions While Abhishek Sharma. The two countries are marking 100 years of sporting ties this year, with the five-match T20I series to be followed by five ODIs and two Tests. Only four batters in India’s squad have played T20Is in New Zealand before — captain Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube. For Iyer, the series is an opportunity to prove himself on an overseas tour after his tenure as captain began with consecutive defeats in Ireland and England. Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand side will look to put India under pressure. Iyer arrives after leading India to their second consecutive gold-winning campaign at the Asian Games and a hard-fought home series against the West Indies that ended in a draw. He is expected to lead India at the T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in two years.
India’s most recent T20I series in New Zealand was in 2022. The visitors, despite having limited time to rest, acclimatise and train after their arrival, will rely on their batting strength to take on the home side. The match in Napier ended in a tie under the Duckworth-Lewis method after rain interrupted play. India went on to win the series, claiming victory in the only match that was not affected by rain.
India, led by Shreyas Iyer, will look to extend their unbeaten run in T20I series in New Zealand as they begin a five-match rubber against the hosts on Thursday.