India vs New Zealand LIVE Cricket Score, 1st T20I: IND defeat NZ by 48 runs, lead series 1-0

IND vs NZ 1st T20 Live Cricket Score, India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Match Live Score and Scorecard Updates: India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs and took 1-0 lead in the 5-match series at Nagpur

India vs New Zealand 1st T20 Live Cricket Score Updates: India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs and took 1-0 lead in the 5-match series at Nagpur. Glenn Phillips scored 78 but it was all for naught as the Kiwis couldn’t overhaul the target with Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube taking 2 wickets apiece for the hosts.

Abhishek Sharma’s 84 and Rinku Singh’s late fireworks helped India post 238/7 against New Zealand in the 1st T20I, their highest vs the Kiwis in the shortest format. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and has put Suryakumar Yadav’s India to bat first at the Vidharbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur in the first of their five-match T20I series. 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.

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

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

IND vs NZ Squads

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:

Match EndedNew Zealand tour of India, 2026 - 1st T20I
India
238/7 (20.0)
vs
New Zealand
190/7 (20.0)
Match Ended ( 1st T20I )
India beat New Zealand by 48 runs
View Scorecard

Live Updates
Jan 21, 2026 10:43 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: IND win by 48 runs

Last over and NZ need 52 runs from 6. Dube will bowl this one and starts with a single and then a wicket!! Ravi Bishnoi is the boundary rider and he has managed to keep hold of that. Mitchell is gone. And that is followed by another wicket as Clarke plays it straight into the hands of Rinku. Dube on a hattrick. Ohhh!! Slower ball goes past the outside edge. 1 run to end.

India win by 48 runs

Jan 21, 2026 10:37 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: All academic from here

The Kiwis need 29 runs from each of the last 2 overs. It's all academic from here. And starts with just 2 with Ishan Kishan even dropping Mitchell. Arshdeep isn't happy. More singles follow. India won't care for those at all.

NZ 187/5 after 19 overs

Jan 21, 2026 10:33 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Santner's double boundaries

Bumrah back and what a try by Rinku to prevent the six but after clawing it back inside, it still trickles and touches the boundary cushions. Four runs. Santner follows it up with another four as he comes out all guns blazing now. Back to back singles now as Bumrah goes back to his trusted yorkers. And Mitchel ends the over with 4 more. Ver well played. Just guides it to the third man boundary.

NZ 181/5 after 18 overs

Jan 21, 2026 10:28 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Mitchell keeps fighting

Arshdeep in the attack now and NZ can just get 4 from the first 4 deliveries. They need 81 from 20. Looks very unlikely. Mitchell won't go down without a fight though as he pulls for a four!! Wide yorker next and Mitchell somehow gets to that and has also sent it for a boundary to boot!!!

NZ 166/5 after 17 overs

Jan 21, 2026 10:22 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Axar off injured

Axar will bowl the next over and after yielding 3 from the first 2 deliveries, is helpless to stop the hard shot from Mitchell. That absolutely bursts through his hands and still goes to the boundary. Looks like he's hurt and he is walking off. Looks like he injured his hands while trying to stop that ball. Abhishek will finish off this over. No harm done as Abhishek concedes just 3.

NZ 154/5 after 16 overs

Jan 21, 2026 10:15 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Varun strikes back

Varun to bowl out with this over. A single off the first 2 deliveries before Chapman ruins his party with a SIX!! Surya having a chat with his bowler now. AAAND THAT HAS PAID OFF!! Chapman went high and that's down the throat of Abhishek.

Chapman c Abhishek Sharma b Varun Chakaravarthy 39(24)

Jan 21, 2026 10:10 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Phillips GONE

Axar next and Phillips with a boundary to start. AAAAND GONE!! Went back to the well a little too soon and has been caught out by Dube at long on. NZ's job just got harder.

Phillips c Shivam Dube b Axar 78(40)

Jan 21, 2026 10:06 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Phillips starts with a SIX

Varun in to bowl his third and it's straight into the slot as Phillips takes him apart with a maximum to start!! 107m that went. Follows that up with 2 as Phillips retains strike. 2 singles now as Varun fights back. 11 off this over ultimately.

NZ 121/3 after 13 overs

Jan 21, 2026 10:02 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Finally a big over for the Kiwis

Dube will bowl the 12th over and New Zealand need to go after him. They need at least a 20-run over from somewhere with the run rate creeping towards 17 an over. Just 2 singles to start this one off. AAAND PHILLIPS HOICKS THE NEXT BALL INTO THE CROWD!! Over deep midwicket it sails for a 105m maximum!! A single next and Chapman with a SIX out his own. Huge powerful pull!!

NZ 110/3 after 12 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:58 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Phillips gets to 50

Bumrah in to bowl the 11th and there's an early chance as Chapman plays it high!! Rinku is under it and he has spilled!! You don't say that very often now, do you? And Phillips has completed his half century. Excellent innings under the circumstances. Chapman with a four to end this one.

NZ 95/3 after 11 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:51 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Halfway done

Shivam Dube introduced now and huge chance of a run out!! And Sanju has fumbled near the stumps!! NZ take 2 as Phillips is very, very lucky. Ends the over with a boundary as we reach the half way stage.

NZ 87/3 after 10 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:47 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: New Zealand need more of this

Varun will continue and goes too full as Phillips swings the bat to deposit the ball over the long on boundary!! Chapman on strike now and gets a thick edge and that's raced to the third man boundary!! Required rate is still over 14 though.

NZ 77/3 after 9 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:42 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: No reviews left for India

Axar to bowl this one and Phillips with a single to start to put Chapman on strike. There's a review now for caught behind but the umpire had given a wide. Interesting. Sanju looks convinced. And no bat involved. India have lost both their reviews. Chapman rubs proverbial salt to India's wounds straight away with a four!!

NZ 63/3 after 8 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:36 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Varun strikes

Varun in the attack now and Robinson with a single to start this one, followed by another by Phillips. AND WE HAVE ANOTHER WICKET!! Robinson tries a big hit and that's straight into the hands of Dube.

Tim Robinson c Shivam Dube b Varun Chakaravarthy 21(15)

Jan 21, 2026 09:33 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: 50 up for NZ as powerplay ends

Last over inside the powerplay and after just a single off the first 3 deliveries, Rinku Singh pulls off an excellent dive to keep it at 2!! But Phillips goes one better the next ball as slammed for a SIX!! 2 more to end. 50 up for NZ.

NZ 50/2 after 6 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:29 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Nifty from Bumrah

Penultimate over of the powerplay and India have introduced Jasprit Bumrah. Yields a single from the first couple of deliveries. And Phillips picks up the slow ball and blasts it through the covers for a four!! And Bumrah follows that up with a quick bouncer. 6 off this over.

NZ 39/2 after 5 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:25 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Robinson gets in on the act

Hardik to bowl the 4th over and starts with a short ball that's adjudged a wide. Robinson gets another edgeee but that's flown over the slips for a four!! Follows that up with a lovely shot for 6 more!!! That one was deliberate. Follows up with 2 singles next. And the over ends with another 4 by Robinson. NZ clawing back into the match.

NZ 33/2 after 4 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:19 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Phillips on song

Arshdeep continues and Phillips flicks one off his pads to get a welcome boundary!! Takes a single next to get Robinson on strike. Another quick single and if that had hit the stumps, Robinson was a goner!!! Phillips ends the over with a six!! Over the bowler's head it goes!!

NZ 16/2 after 3 overs

Jan 21, 2026 09:11 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: ANOTHER DOWN

On to the second over and Hardik will bowl this one. Starts with back to back dots as NZ struggle to get one through the in-field. And he gets an edge as well and Abhishek Sharma in the slips makes no mistakes!! New Zealand reeling here.

Ravindra c Abhishek Sharma b Hardik Pandya 1(5)

Jan 21, 2026 09:09 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: How Abhishek Sharma has rivalled Chris Gayle to become fastest to 5000 T20 runs

For years, the most destructive T20 opener wore dreadlocks, carried a languid demeanour and struck sixes with disturbing nonchalance. Chris Gayle has long bid farewell to international cricket and top franchise leagues. In Abhishek Sharma, the mauler from Chandigarh, the game has discovered an ideal heir. (READ MORE)

Jan 21, 2026 09:03 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: GONE!!!

Welcome back for the chase and New Zealand batters are in the middle with Devon Conway and Tim Robinson to start. Arshdeep Singh with the new ball and HE STRIKES OFF HIS SECOND BALL!! Edge by Conway and that was dying on Samson and he takes a one-handed stunner to send the batter back.

Conway c Samson b Arshdeep Singh 0(2)

Jan 21, 2026 08:51 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Rinku helps India finish on high

Daryl Mitchell to bow lthe final over. Only four players are allowed outside the circle. SIX! What a way to start the over. He walks down the track and goes downtown over the bowler's head for a six to start. SIX! And again! Rinku, what a comeback this has been from the flashy left-hander. Full, in the middle and Rinku slogs across for a six over cow corner. Mitchell changes the angle, comes from around the wicket but bowls two WIDES in succession. FOUR! Mitchell tries to bowl a short one, angling in for the left-hander, Rinku gets into the line and pulls it for another boundary. He missed finding a connection in the following delivery and he is livid with himself. FOUR! Short and angled in again, Rinku pulls it again over square leg to end the over with a boundary. 21 off the last over. What a finish by Rinku Singh!

India: 238/7 in 20 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:44 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Arshdeep plays three dots

Jacob Duffy to bowl the penultimate over. Rinku Singh takes a single off the first ball. A bold call from Rinku who has put Arshdeep on strike. Arshdeep swings and misses for three straight deliveries and all ends up being a dot. Frustrating passage of play as Rinku walks up to Arshdeep to guide him what to do. FOUR! Finally gets a connection, wild heave and it runs for a boundary down the ground. Rinku denies a single off the last delivery.

India: 217/7 in 19 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:40 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Clarke removes Axar

Kristian Clarke with his last over. Axar gets a single. SIX! Slower one and Rinku gets inside the line and helps himself with a pull for a six at long-on. 200 up for India! FOUR! Full outside off and Rinku throws his bat and cuts it for a four. OUT! Axar falls for five. Pace off delivery and Axar holes out to Mitchell at long-off.

Axar c Mitchell b Kristian Clarke 5(5)

India: 211/7 in 18 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:34 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: 10 off Jamieson's last over

Kyle Jamieson with his last over. Rinku gets a two to start the over. FOUR! Full and punished by Rinku who played a beautiful off drive. 10 from Jamieson's last over.

India: 197/6 in 17 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:28 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Hardik Pandya gone

Jacob Duffy returns to the attack. Just two singles and a dot before a wide. Good, quite over. OUT! Hardik Panya has to depart. Didn't get the power he was looking for this time and was caught at deep mid-wicket. Almost at the fence by Mark Chapman, who timed his jump to perfection to complete the catch. Axar Patel is in at No. 8. A single will get him off the mark and end the over. Just five runs and a wicket from this over.

Hardik Pandya c Chapman b Jacob Duffy 25(16)

India: 187/6 in 16 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:22 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Hardik keeps up the ante

Mitchell Santner returns to the attack. Rinku Singh cuts one to get a single to start the over. FOUR! Hardik gets going straightaway in this over. Short ball from Santner this time and Hardik slaps it with a straight bat over cover. SIX! Even better this time. Almost premeditates it this time. Shimmies down the track and slaps it again, down the ground this time. Three singles off the last three.

India: 182/5 in 15 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:18 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Jamieson removes Shivam Dube

Kyle Jamieson with his third over. FOUR! Hardik Pandya muscles it down the ground and it runs to the fence. SIX! Shivam Dube displays his power this time. Banged in short but Dube was all ready to pull it away over square leg. WICKET! Six and out! Dube departs after scoring 9 off 4. Soft dismissal as Dube tries to flick, but a leading edge went straight to lanky Jamieson. Rinku Singh is in at No. 7. 14 from this over.

Shivam Dube c and b Jamieson 9(4)

India: 168/5 in 14 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:11 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: 150 up for Men In Blue

Shivam Dube comes in at No. 6 to join Hardik. Kristian Clarke is back into the attack. Just five from this over as New Zealand finally gets a breather after the big wicket of Abhishek. Nonetheless, 150 up for India inside 13 overs.

India: 154/4 in 13 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:09 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Abhishek Sharma's entertaining knock comes to an end

Ish Sodhi continues. Abhishek Sharma starts the over with a FOUR! Geez, he is tough to bowl to. If the start of the over was good, he made it even better after hitting two BACK-TO-BACK SIXES! OUT! Sodhi finally gets his man but Abhishek has done all the damage here. His scintillating blitzkrieg innings comes to an end. He falls after scoring 84 off 35. Top, top knock from the young man.

Abhishek Sharma c Jamieson b Ish Sodhi 84(35)

India: 149/4 in 12 overs

Jan 21, 2026 08:02 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Santner removes SKY

Mitchell Santner again. SKY lofts it over extra cover, but it lands safely for him to get a single off the first delivery. SIX! Oh boy, what a talent this guy is! Pitched up and Abhishek slams across for a big six over long-on. He lofts over extra cover but again it lands safely. OUT! Ah, wicket. Santner provides New Zealand with a much-needed breakthrough. Full against from Santner but SKY holes out to Tim Robinson at long-on. Hardik Pandya comes in at number five. FOUR! Fourth batter after Abhishek, Kishan and SKY to get off the mark with a boundary tonight. Full from Santner and Hardik slams hard straight after charging down the track. A successful over with 13 coming from it.

Suryakumar Yadav c Tim Robinson b Santner 32(22)

India: 130/3 in 11 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:54 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Sharma-SKY duo take India to 117 at halfway mark

Change of ends for Ish Sodhi now. He comes in place of Glenn Phillips. Suryakumar Yadav starts the over with a single. He gets back into the strike after Abhishek gets a single. FOUR! Short from Sodhi and SKY brings out his traditional sweep. It runs over short fine leg for a boundary. FOUR MORE! Two in two for SKY. He stays on backfoot this time and plays it over deep mid-wicket now. 11 from this over.

India: 117/2 in 10 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:50 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Abhishek takes IND past 100

Skipper Mitchell Santner comes into the attack for the first time tonight. In place of Ish Sodhi. SKY gets a single after playing a dot. SIX! Abhishek jsut don't want to stop. Smashes it deep over deep square leg this time. 100 comes up for India inside nine overs. A couple of singles follow as 10 come from this over.

India: 106/2 in 9 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:46 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Abhishek goes bang bang bang against Phillips

Spin from both ends now. Glenn Phillips in the attack now in place of Kristian Clarke. FOUR! Abhishek charges down, slices it with power and Clarke makes a mess at deep cover this time. He overruns but the ball deviates towards his right. FOUR! This is wonderful batting from Abhishek. Much quicker, flatter from Phillips and Abhishek crunches the cut behind the backward point. FOUR! Clarke misfields again! This time the ball goes through him. Oh dear. Brainfade moment for Clarke, twice in three deliveries. Abhishek gets to his half-century in just 22 balls with a single. FIVE WIDE! Nothing is going Phillips' way this over as he bowls one down the leg and Conway misses it this time. BIg over for India, 20 off it.

India: 96/2 in 8 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:41 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Abhishek continues to get runs

Spin for the first time tonight. Ish Sodhi is in the attack in place of Kristian Clarke. Good start from Sodhi as he gives just three singles from his first four deliveries. FOUR! Tad short from Sodhi at outside off and Abhishek gets into the position to cut past the backward point. 8 from Sodhi's first over.

India: 76/2 in 7 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:35 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Abhishek, SKY continue to attack

Kristian Clarke to bowl the last over of the PowerPlay. SIX! Fourth six for Abhishek Sharma who has been all class in this evening. Charges down the track and the short ball helps him as he slams this one over deep point for a massive six. SIX! SKY gets in the act now. Vintage Surya, who plays the pick-up pull to perfection for a six over short fine leg. 14 from this over.

India: 68/2 in 6 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:31 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Abhishek dealing in maximums

Change of ends for Kyle Jamieson. He replaces Jacob Duffy from the other end. SIX! Jamieson was punished for bowling a leg-cutter in the middle. Abhishek stayed back into the crease and went down the ground for a maximum. SIX! Abhishek is dealing in maximums now. Third six for Abhishek, who pulled over mid-wicket to bring up fifty for India under five overs. He will keep the strike in the next over after taking a single. 16 off this over.

India: 54/2 in 5 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:27 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: SKY gets going

Debutant Kristian Clarke is into the attack in the fourth over. He replaces wicket-taker Kyle Jamieson. Abhishek Sharma lofts the full ball over point for a couple to start the over. He gets a single in the following delivery. FOUR! Trademark SKY cover drive from Surya. He walks down the track and gets the timing right. Seven from the over.

India: 38/3 in 4 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:22 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Ishan Kishan falls

Jacob Duffy continues. Abhishek Sharma gets a single towards mid-wicket to start the over. FOUR! Short ball and Kishan short-arm jabs it over the mid-wicket. OUT! Kishan falls now! First Samson and now Kishan. India have lost two in two overs. Back of the length delivery from Duffy and Kishan could not resist and went for a premeditated shot straight to Mark Chapman at extra cover. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav joins Abhishek Sharma and gets off the mark with a classy cover drive for a FOUR!.

Ishan Kishan c Chapman b Jacob Duffy 8(5)

India: 31/2 in 3 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:15 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Jamieson gets last laugh vs Samson

Kyle Jamieson is in the attack from the other end. FOUR! Samson welcomes Jamieson with a boundary. Short and in the middle, Samson pulls and gets his first boundary at deep square leg. He gets a two off the following delivery. FOUR! Banged in short again and Samson pulls it again. Off the backfoot and places it over deep mid-wicket. OUT! And gone! Samson was looking in good touch. Just chips it inside the circle to Rachin Ravindra at mid-wicket. Jamieson is pumped up as he gets the last laugh. Ishan Kishan is in at No. 4. FOUR! He is off the mark straightaway! Full in the middle and Kishan lofts it over the bowler's head and it runs for a boundary. 14 runs and a wicket from this over.

Samson c Ravindra b Jamieson 10(7)

India: 22/1 in 2 overs

Jan 21, 2026 07:08 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Abhishek Sharma gets off the mark with a six

Jacob Duffy starts the proceedings for New Zealand with the new ball. And we are underway! Duffy starts with an outswinger. Full ball in the middle and Samson rocks back to defend it. Samson is off the mark the next ball with a single. Duffy goes outside off, and it has been deemed a WIDE! Dot again, pitched up and Abhishek flicks it towards midwicket. Duffy follows it up with a pointed bouncer which goes over Sharma's head. SIX! Pitched up again, in the middle and Abhishek gets off the mark in style. He lofts it straight down the ground for a six. He plays four dots but compensates with a maximum in the very first over.

India: 8/0 1 over

Jan 21, 2026 07:01 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: All set!

Explosive openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are ready to get going. New Zealand players are out in the middle as well. All set for some exciting live action.

Jan 21, 2026 06:58 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Time for National anthem

Both teams walk out for the National anthem. The Jamtha stadium is packed to its brim. A loud and noisy crowd await some cricketing action in Nagpur.

Jan 21, 2026 06:41 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Captains during Toss

Mitchell Santner: We are going to bowl first. Looks like a pretty good wicket and looks pretty high-scoring. Last week was pretty special. Every team knows how hard it is to come to India and won but this is a fresh series and they are a tough team in home conditions. Great start for us in terms of prep for the World Cup. Three seamers. Clarke makes his debut, Jamieson and Duffy are playing as well.

Suryakumar Yadav: We were looking to bowl first because we felt there was dew around 8.30 during our practice. But we don't mind putting runs on the board and we have done well batting first. Shreyas, Harshit, Bishnoi and Kuldeep are the ones who are missing out.

Jan 21, 2026 06:39 PM IST
India vs New Zealand LIVE Score, 1st T20I: Playing XIs

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.

Jan 21, 2026 06:31 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: TOSS ALERT!

Mitchell Santner has won the toss and New Zealand are bowling first in Nagpur.

Jan 21, 2026 06:25 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Cricket Score: Pandya tells Gambhir, SKY where he is going to send the ball

The BCCI gave a pretty nice glimpse of how things work in this marauding Indian T20I team. Gambhir and SKY can be seeing geeing up Pandya and Dube, the two most powerful hitters in this team. Enjoy...

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Jan 21, 2026 06:20 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 Live Score Updates: Suryakumar Yadav on his own form

Suryakumar is under no illusions about how things have gone for him recently. “I am sure everyone has seen this in their respective careers,” Suryakumar told reporters in a press conference in which India revealed their squad for the T20 World Cup. “I know what to do. I know where things are going wrong. I have got some time to work on it. We have the New Zealand series coming up and then the important T20 World Cup. You will definitely see Surya the batter,” he said.

Jan 21, 2026 06:03 PM IST
India vs New Zealand 1st T20 LIVE Score Updates: Will Hardik Pandya keep on rumbling?

There is only one word that can aptly describe Hardik Pandya's form with the bat since his return from a brief injury break in the South Africa series - monstrous. He finished as the third highest run scorer in the the series against South Africa, smashing 142 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 186.84 and average of 71.00. He then played two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda and smashed 208 runs at an average of 104.00 and strike rate of 169.10, scoring his first List A century in the process.

Jan 21, 2026 05:44 PM IST
India vs New Zealand 1st T20 LIVE Score Updates: Calm before the storm in Nagpur

Local buzz for this match was seemingly minimal. The interiors of Nagpur did not look like they were awash with anticipation, nor were there the usual scenes of healthy crowds and surrounding police presence at the stadium on Tuesday. The Kamtee Road flyover, the approach road to the stadium, that prominently advertises itself as the ‘second longest flyover in Asia,’ did not have room to display billboards for the game. This may not reflect the teeming numbers that are expected to flock for an India game in this city that boasts a robust cricket culture – the local association, Vidarbha, just won the 50-over domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy. It may have more to do with the ground’s location, on the outskirts of the city in nearby Jamtha. READ MORE.

Jan 21, 2026 05:33 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: The bits of luck that worked in Ishan Kishan's favour

Make no mistake, the chief reason why Ishan Kishan is back in the scheme of things in international cricket is the sheer glut of runs he has scored in domestic cricket this year. Apart from that, two pieces of good fortune also came to his aid. The first was the surprise change of mind on Shubman Gill, the out-of-form vice-captain being dropped for the World Cup a few months after he was shoehorned into the side. It was then decided that Jitesh Sharma’s place was tenuous; with Sanju Samson moving back up to open, his stand-in must be a top-order batter too. With Kishan among runs, fresh off spearheading Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a 51-ball hundred in the final, he was deemed worthy of a punt.

The second piece of good luck came with Tilak Varma’s injury last week, opening a place for a top-order batter in the New Zealand series. The team management may have been tempted to play Shreyas Iyer, Tilak’s replacement in the squad, but it was only fair, skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed, that after being picked for the World Cup, Kishan should get the nod.

Jan 21, 2026 05:22 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: The rise and fall and return of Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan was seemingly earmarked as one of the players who will take the Indian team forward after the 2023 World Cup, regardless of whether it is he or Rishabh Pant who regularly wear the gloves. And then, all of a sudden, it all came to an end at the start of 2024 when he was chucked out of the senior squad, with murmurs swirling about the team being dissatisfied by his attitude and mindset in the murky aftermath of his request for a mental fatigue-induced break.

Two years went by and tons of runs as captain of Jharkhand in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy late last year and now, he is back. READ MORE.

Jan 21, 2026 04:53 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: Suryakumar Yadav since becoming captain

India have not lost a T20I series since they won the 2024 T20 World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav had taken over as captain after that tournament, and there is no doubt about his role as captain in the team's succesfull run ever since. And yet, what is also true is that the 35-year-old has struggled to live up to the astonishingly high standards he maintained as a batter before becoming captain, the kind of standards that has already cemented his name in the conversation for India's greatest ever T20I cricketers.

The drop off is quite visible in Suryakumar's strike rate and average at the end of each calendar year. SKY ended 2021, the year he made his debut, with a strike rate of 155.41 and average of 34.85. In 2022, he struck at a whopping 187.43 for as many as 31 innings and averaged 46.56.

He ended 2023 with a strike rate of 155.95 and averaged 48.86 in 17 innings while at he finished 2024 with strike rate of 151.59 and average of 26.81.

His numbers for 2025? Strike rate of 123.16 and average of 13.62 in 19 innings.

Jan 21, 2026 04:31 PM IST
IND vs NZ 1st T20 LIVE Score: New Zealand, India's bogey

New Zealand already held the informal status of being India's bogey in ICC tournaments before the 2025 Champions Trophy; with the Indians vanquishing their devils in the final to beat New Zealand by four wickets. However, the Kiwis argiably only extended their bogey status after that. In late 2024, New Zealand became the first team to whitewash India on their own turf in a three-match Test series. With a dramatic 41-run victory in Indore on Sunday, they won their first-ever ODI series on these shores, burying another proud home record. On Wednesday they embark on their third attempt to breach the Indian fortress in T20s, their first in a full five-match series, with many of their top-shelf white-ball players returning. It’s a good source of both confidence and motivation.

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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