India vs New Zealand Live Cricket Score, 1st T20: Suryakumar’s form, Ishan Kishan’s return in spotlight

IND vs NZ 1st T20 Live Cricket Score, India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Match Live Score and Scorecard Updates: Suryakumar Yadav will be looking to rediscover his form with the T20 World Cup in the horizon.

India vs New Zealand 1st T20 Live Cricket Score Updates: India take on New Zealand at the Vidharbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur today in the first of their five-match T20I series with one eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup. The series against New Zealand will be the Men in Blue’s last series before they are required to defend their T20 World Cup title.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I LIVE Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here

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While India come into the series with the form guide favoruing them — they have won every single bilateral series they have played in the shortest format, winning 28 matches and losing just five in that period — there is plenty of intrigue around the Indian squad, particularly around the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and the inclusion of ishan Kishan after his heroics in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Jharkhand. Ishan will bat at no 3 in the first game, captain Yadav has already confirmed.

India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Live Cricket Streaming Online: Know Details Here

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kristian Clarke, Zakary Foulkes

SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE SCORE AND UPDATES OF INDIA VS NEW ZEALAND 1ST T20I:

Live Updates
Jan 21, 2026 04:21 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Ishan Kishan at training

During training on Tuesday, Kishan struck a composed figure, neither looking out of place or uncertain. He trained, mostly against spin, with the easy-going style that he has made his own. He left the ground with a conciliatory arm around his good mate Iyer’s shoulders.

Jan 21, 2026 04:15 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: What Suryakumar said about who will take Tilak Varma's place at No.3

It is not often that an Indian captain declares almost anything about their team a day before a match but Suryakumar Yadav had no hesitation revealing that Ishan Kishan will be taking Tilak Varma's place today. “Ishan will play at No.3 tomorrow,” Surya confirmed on Tuesday. “We picked him first for the World Cup team, so it’s only fair that he gets the chance first. He also has not played for India in a long time. He deserves to play. Unfortunately, Tilak is not in that position, so we feel Ishan is our best bet at No. 3.”

Jan 21, 2026 03:54 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: India vs New Zealand T20I series over the years

The first bilateral T20I series between India and New Zealand was hosted by the latter in 2009. New Zealand won that 2-0. They then beat India in a two-match T20I series in India in 2012 1-0. Since then, though, India have won all three T20I series they have played at home against New Zealand.

Jan 21, 2026 03:32 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: New Zealand squad

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

Jan 21, 2026 03:19 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Cricket Score: India full squad

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

Jan 21, 2026 03:11 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 Live Score Updates: Hello and welcome!

Ishan Kishan's return, Suryakumar Yadav's sagging form, Hardik Pandya's big-hitting spree, Shreyas Iyer being left out despite Tilak Varma's absence... quite a few talking points ahead of this match, as is usually the case whenever India play a series right before a major tournament. This one is taking place in the days leading up to the T20 World Cup. Stay tuned for more updates!

India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I: Ishan Kishan’s return after a long period in wilderness adds intrigue with World Cup round the corner

For Ishan Kishan, the start of 2024 began a two-year period when he was firmly out of the scheme of things for India, a sudden reversal for the country’s highly-rated wicketkeeper-batter who was considered to have an unsatisfactory attitude and mindset in the murky aftermath of his request for a mental fatigue-induced break.

The same Kishan starts 2026 with a resounding return to the national team on Wednesday, when he will feature in the first of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. He does so by fortuitously riding the changing tides of Indian cricket. Proclamations can be fickle; especially considering a team in transition. (READ MORE)

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