IND vs NZ Stats Preview- 1st T20I, New Zealand tour of India 2026

IND vs NZ Stats Preview. [Source - @bcci/@blackcaps/x]

India and New Zealand will be up against each other in the first T20I of the five-match series on Wednesday, January 21st. The much anticipated IND vs NZ contest will be played at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur and is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I Match Preview, 2026

India

India enters this T20I series against New Zealand boasting an extraordinary unbeaten run since the last T20 World Cup. With aggressive, in-form batting, balanced all-rounders, and world-class pace and spin bowling, captain Suryakumar Yadav and his side aim to extend the winning streak ahead of the T20 World Cup.

New Zealand

New Zealand had a solid previous year in T20Is and enters this season aiming to find the right combination ahead of the T20 World Cup, against India. Key players missing from the ODIs are back, and with Mitchell Santner leading, they hope to build confidence for the tournament.

Top run scorers in IND vs NZ T20Is

We are considering only the players from the current squad.

Suryakumar Yadav - 284 runs

Suryakumar Yadav tops the India vs New Zealand T20Is run chart with 284 runs, averaging 47.33 at a strike rate of 153.51.

Daryl Mitchell - 241 runs

Daryl Mitchell features next with 241 runs in 14 appearances in India vs New Zealand T20Is.

Shreyas Iyer - 225 runs

Shreyas Iyer sits third on the list with 225 runs in 11 innings, including a half-century against New Zealand in T20Is.

Top wicket-takers in IND vs NZ T20Is

We are considering only the players from the current squad.

Ish Sodhi - 25 wickets

Ish Sodhi leads the wickets chart in India vs New Zealand T20Is with 25 wickets at an average of 20.8 and economy rate of 7.53, striking at every 16.5 balls.

Mitchell Santner - 18 wickets

Mitchell Santner features next with 18 wickets in this fixture, averaging 29 and economy of 6.96, with 4/11 as best bowling figures.

Jasprit Bumrah - 12 wickets

Jasprit Bumrah sits third with 12 wickets in 10 games at an average of 19.33 and economy rate of 6.1 in this fixture.

IND vs NZ key stats

India key records

• India have won four of their last five T20Is vs NZ in India.
• Abhishek Sharma has been India's highest run-scorer in T20Is since 2025 - 859 runs, 42.95 average and 193.56 strike-rate.
• Varun Chakravarthy has been the best spinner in the world, in T20Is since 2025 - 36 wickets at 13.19 average and 11.1 strike-rate.
• Ishan Kishan was highest runscorer in recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - 517 runs, 57.44 average and 197.32 strike-rate.
• Abhishek Sharma was the most dangerous batter inside the powerplay last year - 593 runs, 59.3 average and 194.43 strike-rate.

New Zealand key records

• New Zealand have won three of their last five T20Is.
• Tim Robinson is NZ’s top-scorer since 2025 in the current squad - 402 runs, 44.66 average and 144.6 strike-rate.
• Jacob Duffy has been the best bowler in the world in T20Is since 2025 - 35 wickets, 15.08 average and 12.1 strike-rate.
• Ish Sodhi has been taking a wicket every 11.6 balls in T20Is since 2025.
• Jacob Duffy was the highest wicket-taker in powerplay in T20Is last year - 20 wickets, 13.90 average and
• New Zealand struggled in the middle-order in T20Is last hear - 19 average, 135.05 strike-rate.

IND vs NZ key records which could be broken in 1st T20I, 2026

• Glenn Phillips is 71 runs away from 2000 T20I runs.
• Devon Conway needs 6 sixes to complete 50 T20I sixes.
• Suryakumar Yadav is 5 sixes away from 400 T20 sixes.