India captain Suryakumar Yadav aims to regain form and sharpen leadership as India face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series, their final tune-up before defending the T20 World Cup starting February 7. India, unbeaten in eight consecutive bilateral T20I series since 2024, will test themselves against a New Zealand side that recently achieved historic Test and ODI series wins in India.
With Tilak Varma sidelined due to injury, Ishan Kishan will bat at No.3, while the squad welcomes back key players Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy. India’s XI for the opener in Nagpur is expected to be: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy.
The Nagpur pitch offers good bounce and pace early, aiding fast bowlers in the powerplay, while spinners may dominate as the match progresses. India hold a slight edge in T20I head-to-heads, winning 15 of 25 matches against New Zealand. The weather is expected to be ideal with no chance of rain, making conditions perfect for a high-intensity opener.
