India begin New Zealand tour with five T20Is in Christchurch on Thursday
India start a full tour of New Zealand with a five-match T20I series in Christchurch on Thursday, the opening phase of a trip that also includes five ODIs and a two-Test finale beginning later in November.
The last time India undertook a comparable trip to New Zealand was in early 2020, when Virat Kohli was still all-format captain and the schedule ran from January 29 to March 2 with five T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests; that tour finished with India having won the first five T20Is but then losing the next five matches, including heavy Test defeats by 10 wickets in Wellington and seven in Christchurch. India’s only Test win in New Zealand since March 2009 — when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side prevailed 1-0 at Seddon Park, Hamilton — remains their last success there; they have been winless in six Tests since and lost the last four.
India arrive in New Zealand in the midst of personnel change and inconsistent Test form: several senior players, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R. Ashwin, retired after or during the Australia tour of 2024-25, K.L. Rahul is the vice-captain and Ravindra Jadeja is cited as a bridge between eras, and Shubman Gill’s tenure has had mixed returns. The team sits mid-table in the World Test Championship and, according to the piece, must win at least five of their remaining seven Tests — two in New Zealand and five at home against Australia between January and March — to retain any chance of contesting the WTC final, a situation that could increase pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir.
The short-term itinerary places the five T20Is ahead of the five ODIs that begin on November 4 in Auckland and the two Tests that open at the Basin Reserve on November 19, making this the longest tour by number of international matches (12) undertaken by any side to New Zealand. Shreyas Iyer has been handed T20 captaincy in place of Suryakumar Yadav, with the series viewed as an opportunity to gain early insight ahead of the next World Cup, which the article notes will be jointly hosted by New Zealand and Australia in two years’ time.
India’s selection choices for the white-ball leg include the recalled Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose return comes after nearly four years out of international cricket; the 36-year-old is recorded as having 90 T20I wickets in 88 appearances and an economy rate of 6.96. His first delivery in international cricket since November 2022 was delayed when the final T20I against West Indies in Bengaluru was washed out last Saturday, and the report notes he played his last T20I in the same country where the current series begins.
The report flags shortcomings in India’s pace attack during the recent white-ball series against West Indies, citing flat decks and dewy outfields that afforded little assistance to bowlers, and says the lack of bite prompted a move back to an experienced option; it also records that Ajit Agarkar is no longer chief selector. If Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep Singh can form a useful combination, the article suggests, it would relieve pressure on the rest of the bowling group, with 8.00 p.m. local starts and summer conditions referenced as factors for seam bowlers.
The ODI leg is framed as the beginning of the build-up to the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa in less than a year, with the piece asserting conditions in New Zealand will largely mirror those expected in South Africa and offering a chance for Gill’s side to draw on the presence of Rohit and Kohli. The report states that India have withdrawn several players, including skipper Gill, for the last two ODIs because of their proximity to the Test series, while Rohit and Kohli will remain available to guide and support stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer.
New Zealand enter the series as a strong opponent in red-ball conditions: the article records them as No. 2 in the WTC standings behind Australia, notes Kane Williamson is no longer available for selection, and refers to their 3-0 series win over India in India in October–November 2024. It contrasts the seam-friendly Wellington and Christchurch venues with the spin-conducive Pune and Mumbai tracks where Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel had success, and identifies the Test tour as a significant challenge for young Indian left-handed top-order batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal.
The tour’s calendar now moves to its immediate fixtures: the T20I series begins in Christchurch on Thursday, the first ODI is scheduled in Auckland on November 4, and the two-Test series opens at the Basin Reserve on November 19.
