New Zealand host India in the opening T20I of a five-match series at Hagley Oval on Thursday, October 22. It is the start of a 12-match tour that runs through to December 1.
There is an obvious edge to the fixture. The last time these sides met, India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final in March, and Mitchell Santner's team will not have forgotten how comprehensively that night went against them.
India are without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, while New Zealand have lost Rachin Ravindra to a dislocated shoulder along with Mark Chapman and Zak Foulkes, which has thinned out both attacks before a ball has been bowled.
Conditions could be the decisive factor at a ground India have never played a men's T20I on. The evening is forecast to stay dry but cold, with temperatures dropping towards 14°C by the closing overs.
Live scorecard
New Zealand vs. India 1st T20I: Live updates and toss result
Toss result
Toss to come at 12:00 p.m. IST, half an hour before the start.
New Zealand vs. India 1st T20I: Predicted playing XI
New Zealand predicted XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, and Lockie Ferguson
India predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mayank Yadav
New Zealand vs. India 1st T20I: Win percentage
| Team | Win probability |
| NZ | 39% |
| IND | 61% |
New Zealand vs. India 1st T20I: Betting odds
India are the favourites to win this match at 1.55, while the odds for New Zealand to win are 2.40.
* Odds are indicative based on current market pricing and subject to change closer to the toss.