Now that India have lost yet another series to New Zealand at home in the span of one year, the attention shifts to the all-important IND vs NZ T20I series, the penultimate stop before the T20 World Cup 2026. Eyeing a second consecutive title win, the Men in Blue will want to get everything right – from team combination to techniques – and there is no better preparation ground than the series against the Kiwis. Five T20Is are left before India commence their T20 WC campaign. Given the nature of the defeat they have just been handed, albeit in a different format, India will be itching to bounce back.
As it so happens before most series, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav are tasked with multiple selection headaches. Only, this time around, they would have to ace their plans and not just experiment. Surely, India have finalized 90% of their playing XI for the T20 World Cup. The series against New Zealand is not just about warm-ups for the T20I regulars but also for some others who might warm the bench mostly but could get unexpected call-ups to the playing XI.
From giving Ishan Kishan some game time to deciding on whether Harshit Rana would need some rest, the Indian think tank has quite a few decisions to make in the five-match series. Let’s take a look at them one by one, starting with the bat.
The curious case of Ishan Kishan
Kishan last played a T20I back in November 2023 and since then has been sidelined, not just from the shortest format but across all formats. However, his prowess in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy coupled with him leading Jharkhand to their maiden title win the tournament, propelled him to be picked in the T20 World Cup squad. Evidentially, the selectors back him to be India’s second-choice wicketkeeper for the marquee tournament and has been picked over Jitesh Sharma.
But as pointed out earlier, it has been over two years since Kishan last played a T20I. Now, talking about the IND vs NZ series, the team management has not one but multiple chances to give the southpaw chances in the series, in order for him to get some game time. After all, he’s the only wicketkeeper in the squad apart from Samson and could do with some game time before the marquee event in order to stay prepared.
But if he is given the chance, then arises another question – Who will open with Abhishek Sharma? After all, Kishan is known for his prowess at number 3 in the recent past, even though his past contributions as an opener cannot be forgotten. Hence, it remains to be seen how many matches will Gambhir be willing to give Kishan, at the expense of preserving Samson for the WC.
Where will Shreyas Iyer bat?
Shreyas, who also played his last T20i back in 2023, found his way back into the Indian side in the form of an injured Tilak Varma. The Mumbai batter, who himself returned to action just a week before after being on the sidelines for 3 months, has been named as Varma’s replacement for 3 IND vs NZ T20Is. However, where Iyer bats and his form is a worry for India.
Iyer had aced his role as number 3 batter for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 and is expected to continue doing the same in the IND vs NZ series as well. But, going by Gautam Gambhir’s logic, he could very well oscillate between number 3 and 4 as well, depending on captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form and the game situation. Regardless, Iyer is left with three games to cement his spot in the T20I side and it is a near-impossible task.
No rest for Harshit Rana?
The 24-year-old as emerged as one of India’s most reliable all-rounders in the recent past, especially after his display in the IND vs NZ 3rd ODI. Initially dubbed as a player picked owing to favouritism, Rana has proved his doubters wrong with stunning performances across formats, with both bat and ball. While there is no doubt that he will be an automatic pick in India’s XI for most of the games in the T20 World Cup, it will be interesting to see if Gambhir and co. will want to give him some rest before the event and bench him for a couple or more games against New Zealand.
India’s spin conundrum
Now, if India were to finalize their blueprint for the T20 WC in the series against New Zealand, then the biggest issue they face is the spin unit. To be precise – to decide between Axar, Kuldeep and Varun. Patel is the vice-captain and hence is an automatic pick. Besides, Washington Sundar is ruled out as well due to a rib injury. Chakravarthy is their go-to spinner in T20Is, and therefore he too is a no-brainer.
Kuldeep, on the other hand, has seen a dip in form across formats in the recent past. His yield in the IND vs NZ ODIs weren’t great either. While he continues to be one of India’s best spinners, it remains to be seen how many games in the IND vs NZ T2OI series that he will break into the playing XI.
Will Rinku Singh bat?
Interestingly, Rinku has been named in the 15-member squad despite being out of the favour of the selectors recently. He was last seen in action in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan where he faced just one ball and struck a boundary to take India across the line. Going by the plans of Ajit Agarkar and Gambhir, the UP star has been included in India’s squad as a back-up batter. But it is pertinent to point out that a back-up batter also needs some game time, especially before a global event. Therefore, it will be interesting to see in which games will India tinker with their combination to make space for Rinku in the playing XI.
India squad for IND vs NZ T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer
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