Overview
- The five-match T20I series opens at 7:00 PM IST at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, with TV coverage on Star Sports and DD Sports and live streaming on JioHotstar.
- India have confirmed Ishan Kishan at No. 3 for the opener, making Shreyas Iyer a likely omission from the starting XI.
- Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya return to the T20 side, with Varun Chakravarthy expected to feature prominently as reports indicate Kuldeep Yadav could miss out.
- Suryakumar Yadav’s prolonged lean patch remains a focal concern after a 2025 return of 218 T20I runs; senior voices have warned India’s batting suffers when he is off-color.
- New Zealand enter with confidence after an ODI series win and recent Test success in India, while Nagpur’s pitch is forecast to aid pace early and spin later with typical first-innings scores around 160–175.