India will look to press their advantage in the five-match T20I series when they face New Zealand in the second match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday.
Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India began their build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup with a 48-run victory in Nagpur, powered by a dominant batting display.
Put in to bat, the hosts piled up 238 for seven before their bowlers ensured New Zealand were kept at arm’s length, restricting them to 190 for seven.
The opening game belonged to Abhishek Sharma, whose blistering 84 off 35 balls at the top of the order set the tone early. The left-hander dismantled the New Zealand attack with five fours and eight sixes, putting the visitors under immediate pressure. He found support from Rinku Singh, who remained unbeaten on 44, while Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya added quick runs through the middle and death overs to push India to a daunting total.
With the ball, Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube struck at key moments, picking up two wickets each to halt any serious New Zealand challenge. Glenn Phillips was the lone bright spot for the visitors, scoring a fighting 78 off 40 balls to keep the chase alive briefly, but the lack of support from the rest of the batting order proved costly.
India hold a 1–0 lead and will be keen to extend it in Raipur, where they have played only one T20I so far — a 20-run win over Australia in December 2023. That match saw spinners enjoy greater success than seamers, and similar conditions could again come into play, an area where India possess considerable depth.
For New Zealand, the primary focus will be on tightening their bowling discipline and finding much-needed consistency from the top order. Meanwhile, Team India is expected to field an unchanged XI, as the management looks to give the current squad enough game time to settle into their roles before the World Cup tournament kicks off.
India vs New Zealand T20 head-to-head
India holds a superior head-to-head record against New Zealand in T20 international cricket. The Men in Blue have won 13 of the 26 matches that they have played against each other. The Black Caps have registered 10 victories, while three games have been tied.
India T20I squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravi Bishnoi
New Zealand’s T20I squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicket-keeper), Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi
