It was turning out to be a brilliant first over from Jacob Duffy, but Abhishek Sharma spoiled it with a SIX on the final ball. It was pitched up, and the southpaw slammed it high down the ground for a boundary. Earlier in the over, Duffy had tested the India opener by cramping him for room.

IND 8-0 (1)

Jacob Duffy begins with a fuller delivery that had a hint of away swing after pitching on the middle stump. Sanju Samson got onto the back foot and defended it to the off-side. A dot ball starts the India vs New Zealand first T20I.

Both teams lined up for their respective national anthems. The visiting side, New Zealand, started with theirs, and hosts India followed. Just two minutes left for the action to unfold in Nagpur. Are you ready?

"The square was relayed in 2024 and this is the first T20I since. Looking at the numbers from the past, pretty low-scoring, not an easy surface to bat on. The grass covering all around the block is fantastic. It'll be quite low and quite slow. I don't think it'll be a really high-scoring affair. There are runs around with a good outfield and it'll come onto the bat just medium to slow pace, I think so. I don't think it's going to be easy from a seamer's point of view, just about nice straight lines and length," said Deep Dasgupta and Simon Doull.

"But the last time New Zealand were here, it actually turned quite a bit. Yes. I'm not going to see too much turn tonight. Maybe early while it's a bit damp, I think. It's not as firm as we usually see in T20I pitches. All these cracks are kind of wide. They're not thin those cracks. So with wider cracks, every time the ball lands on those cracks, chances are it'll do a little bit and the edges might start breaking. So it might be a high-scoring pitch like 220 to 230. I don't think that's the case," they added.

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.

"We were looking to bowl first because we felt there was dew around 8.30 during our practice. But we don't mind putting runs on the board and we have done well batting first. Shreyas, Harshit, Bishnoi and Kuldeep are the ones who are missing out," said India captain Suryakumar Yadav.

"We are going to bowl first. Looks like a pretty good wicket and looks pretty high-scoring. Last week was pretty special. Every team knows how hard it is to come to India and won but this is a fresh series and they are a tough team in home conditions. Great start for us in terms of prep for the World Cup. Three seamers. Clarke makes his debut, Jamieson and Duffy are playing as well," said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner.

The coin lands in favour of returning New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and he has opted to bowl first in this first T20I. Chasing will get easier on this track with dew playing a role in the second innings.

The ICC has rejected Bangladesh's request to shift its T20 World Cup matches out of India. The apex cricket body has given the side a 24-hour deadline to decide on its participation. Follow the live updates on the developments HERE 

Meanwhile, we are just five minutes away from the toss for the first India vs New Zealand T20I. Stay connected!

Next stop on the road to #T20WorldCup 2026
Charged and ready for the st T20I #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/16HTcZWUIP

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 21, 2026

This match will also see the return of Ishan Kishan to India's Playing XI. With Tilak Varma ruled out of the first three matches, the wicketkeeper-batter is set to take the No. 3 position. This will be Kishan's first India game since November 2023.

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav put in a poor performance at the highest level last year. His numbers in T20Is in 2025 stand at a disappointing 218 runs in 19 innings at an average of 13.62, without a single half-century. He will aim to return to form, with just five games left to the T20 World Cup 2026.

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.

New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kristian Clarke, Zakary Foulkes.

Hello everyone, welcome to the live blog of the India vs New Zealand first T20I in Nagpur. This five-match series is a T20 World Cup dress rehearsal for both teams before they play the mega event, which is being hosted by India and Sri Lanka, starting February 7.