Shreyas Iyer Leads India in T20I Series Opener Against New Zealand

In the first match of the five-T20I series, India, led by captain Shreyas Iyer, won the toss and opted to field against New Zealand. The Indian squad saw two changes from their previous game, with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav stepping in. This match marks the beginning of an exciting series between the two teams. Read on for more details about the teams and match dynamics.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 22, 2026, 12:57 IST

India vs New Zealand: T20I Series Begins

In the opening match of their five-match T20I series on Thursday, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field first against New Zealand.

The Indian team made two adjustments to their lineup from the last T20I against the West Indies, introducing all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav, who replaced Shivam Dube and Prince Yadav respectively.

Teams:

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Mayank Yadav.

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, and Lockie Ferguson.