India head into the tour after a hard-fought series against West Indies, which they drew 2-2. New Zealand, who lost the T20 World Cup 2026 final to India, will be aiming for revenge at home. Team captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir will have a few selection dilemmas to solve, including big calls over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar . Led by Mitchell Santner , the Kiwis are welcoming back a number of star performers like Finn Allen , Tim Seifert and Lockie Ferguson . ( Live Scorecard )
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I LIVE Score : India take on New Zealand in the first T20I of the five-match series in Christchurch on Thursday.
India vs New Zealand Live Score: Hello
Their most recent T20 clash on New Zealand soil was in 2022 in Napier where the rain-interrupted match ended in a tie via the Duckworth-Lewis method. Unbeaten in their last two T20 series in New Zealand, the Shreyas Iyer-led India would rely heavily on their batting firepower to outwit New Zealand even though the relatively inexperienced tourists have got barely two days to rest, acclimatise and train for the five-match rubber. The series, however, was claimed by India who managed to win the only game that was not wrecked by inclement weather. Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 1st T20I of the five-match series between India and New Zealand, straight from the Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Stay tuned for all the live updates.
