Indian players in New Zealand (Source: AFP Photos)
On Thursday, India completed a historic chase against New Zealand in the first T20I of the five-match series at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Within 48 hours, they will go up against each other once again on Saturday (October 24), with Christchurch being the host once again.
Let's take a look at how India's playing XI could form, based on recent developments.
Top-Order: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk)
As Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of IND vs NZ 2nd T20I due to an injury, India will give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a chance to take the world by storm.
Sooryavanshi, 15, will pair with Abhishek Sharma, which will see Sanju Samson, India’s last-match hero, bat at No. 3. Nevertheless, this would form one of the most prolific top orders in the world for T20Is, despite the fact that Ishan Kishan is unavailable.
Middle Order & All-Rounders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel
Most likely, Tilak Varma will return to his original No. 5 role, with captain Shreyas Iyer ahead of him. While Shreyas made 42 off 28 balls last time at this venue, Tilak struggled miserably, scoring only six runs off 11 balls after coming to bat at No. 3.
India were pleased to see Naman Dhir perform last time around with a stunning 15-ball 42. Axar Patel also left his mark with the bat, scoring 24 off 14 balls to get the job done.
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Thanks to them, India might look to strengthen their bowling attack when they come next, which means Nitish Kumar Reddy might have to be sidelined.
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mayank Yadav
Despite the fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not have a memorable outing with the ball on his much-anticipated return, he will be preferred to take the new ball once again, particularly because there is no Jasprit Bumrah.
Arshdeep Singh will continue to pair with him, while Mayank Yadav did more than a decent job during his first three overs in IND vs NZ 1st T20I.
To add more flair, Varun Chakaravarthy is expected to be back in India’s playing XI vs New Zealand. The Kiwis fielded two spinners in Michael Bracewell and captain Mitchell Santner last time, and both had the economy rate under 10.
India might take some inspiration from there, and ask Varun to pair with Axar.
India Playing XI vs New Zealand – 2nd T20I, India Tour Of New Zealand 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mayank Yadav
