India vs New Zealand Live 1st T20I: All eyes on Bhuvneshwar Kumar as IND under pressure to perform overseas

Oct 22, 2026, 10:40:35 IST

India vs New Zealand Live 1st T20I: Follow Live Score and Updates.

India vs New Zealand Live Score 1st T20I: India begin their five-match T20I series against New Zealand in Christchurch today afternoon (IST). After an underwhelming Ireland and England tour, Shreyas Iyer looks to make a strong statement as captain in testing overseas conditions. The visitors have plenty of firepower in Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma, but their bowling will be under scrutiny without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. The return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar after nearly four years and the inclusion of Varun Chakravarthy offer a boost, though questions remain over the attack’s balance. With barely two days to acclimatise, India will need to adjust quickly against Mitchell Santner’s side and its pace-heavy bowling attack.

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