India arrive in New Zealand as world champions, having beaten the same opponents by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad in March.
The five-match series now shifts to the Black Caps' backyard, where the T20I history between the sides is far tighter than that result suggests.
Shreyas Iyer leads a 16-man India squad that welcomes back Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who last played a T20I in November 2022. Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner captains the home side.
India last played T20Is here in November 2022, when Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 111 at Mount Maunganui set up a 65-run win. They took that series 1-0 after Wellington was abandoned and a rain-hit Napier game ended in a tie, so the record is worth a closer look.
Before the bilateral series kicks off in Christchurch on Thursday, The Sporting News takes a look at the record books.
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India's T20I record in New Zealand
India have won five of their 12 T20Is in New Zealand and lost four, while three ended level. Two of those were Super Over wins for India and the third was tied under Duckworth-Lewis in Napier. India have not lost here since February 2019.
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | W/L | HS | LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1.250 | 208 | 135 |
| New Zealand | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0.800 | 219 | 126 |
India vs. New Zealand: Lowest team totals
Four innings in these matches have finished below 140, and New Zealand own the two lowest. Their 126 at Mount Maunganui in 2022 stands out, while the rain-hit Napier chase of 75 for four has been left out of this list.
| Team | Score | Overs | Result | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 126 | 18.5 | Lost | Mount Maunganui | 20 Nov 2022 |
| New Zealand | 132/5 | 20.0 | Lost | Auckland | 26 Jan 2020 |
| India | 135/3 | 17.3 | Won | Auckland | 26 Jan 2020 |
| India | 139 | 19.2 | Lost | Wellington | 6 Feb 2019 |
| India | 149/6 | 20.0 | Lost | Wellington | 27 Feb 2009 |
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India vs. New Zealand: Highest team totals
Batters have found more joy in New Zealand, with the hosts owning three of the top five totals, led by 219 for six in Wellington in 2019. India's best, 208 for six in Hamilton four days later, still ended in a four-run defeat.
| Team | Score | Overs | Result | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 219/6 | 20.0 | Won | Wellington | 6 Feb 2019 |
| New Zealand | 212/4 | 20.0 | Won | Hamilton | 10 Feb 2019 |
| India | 208/6 | 20.0 | Lost | Hamilton | 10 Feb 2019 |
| India | 204/4 | 19.0 | Won | Auckland | 24 Jan 2020 |
| New Zealand | 203/5 | 20.0 | Lost | Auckland | 24 Jan 2020 |
India vs. New Zealand: Highest individual scores
Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 111 at Mount Maunganui in 2022 is the only century in these 12 matches. The next four scores all belong to New Zealand batters, led by Kane Williamson's 95 from 48 balls in Hamilton in 2020, with Tim Seifert's 84 in Wellington not far behind.
| Player | Runs | BF | 4s | 6s | SR | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suryakumar Yadav (IND) | 111* | 51 | 11 | 7 | 217.64 | Mount Maunganui | 20 Nov 2022 |
| Kane Williamson (NZ) | 95 | 48 | 8 | 6 | 197.91 | Hamilton | 29 Jan 2020 |
| Tim Seifert (NZ) | 84 | 43 | 7 | 6 | 195.34 | Wellington | 6 Feb 2019 |
| Collin Munro (NZ) | 72 | 40 | 5 | 5 | 180.00 | Hamilton | 10 Feb 2019 |
| Brendon McCullum (NZ) | 69* | 55 | 8 | 1 | 125.45 | Wellington | 27 Feb 2009 |
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India vs. New Zealand: Best bowling performance
Deepak Hooda's 4 for 10 at Mount Maunganui in 2022 is the best return in these matches, followed by Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, who each took four in Napier two days later. Tim Southee's 3 for 17 in 2019 is New Zealand's best.
| Player | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Opposition | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepak Hooda (IND) | 2.5 | 10 | 4 | 3.52 | v New Zealand | Mount Maunganui | 20 Nov 2022 |
| Md Siraj (IND) | 4.0 | 17 | 4 | 4.25 | v New Zealand | Napier | 22 Nov 2022 |
| Arshdeep Singh (IND) | 4.0 | 37 | 4 | 9.25 | v New Zealand | Napier | 22 Nov 2022 |
| Jasprit Bumrah (IND) | 4.0 | 12 | 3 | 3.00 | v New Zealand | Mount Maunganui | 2 Feb 2020 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 4.0 | 17 | 3 | 4.25 | v India | Wellington | 6 Feb 2019 |
India vs. New Zealand: Leading run scorers
Ross Taylor edges Kane Williamson by a single run at the top of the chart, 303 to 302, with Colin Munro and Tim Seifert close behind. Seifert is the only one of the five named in either squad, and Rohit Sharma is India's leading batter.
| Player | Span | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Taylor (NZ) | 2009-2020 | 10 | 303 | 54* | 37.87 | 0 | 2 |
| Kane Williamson (NZ) | 2019-2022 | 7 | 302 | 95 | 43.14 | 0 | 3 |
| Collin Munro (NZ) | 2019-2020 | 8 | 296 | 72 | 37.00 | 0 | 3 |
| Tim Seifert (NZ) | 2019-2020 | 8 | 280 | 84 | 46.66 | 0 | 3 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 2009-2020 | 8 | 236 | 65 | 33.71 | 0 | 3 |
India vs. New Zealand: Top wicket-takers
Tim Southee leads with 13 wickets in 12 matches, comfortably clear of Ish Sodhi on 11. Shardul Thakur's eight came in just five matches in 2020 and is the most by any India bowler, while Mitchell Santner, now New Zealand's captain, has seven.
| Player | Mat | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 12 | 13 | 3/17 | 32.61 | 9.11 |
| Ish Sodhi (NZ) | 10 | 11 | 3/26 | 25.45 | 8.00 |
| Shardul Thakur (IND) | 5 | 8 | 2/21 | 19.62 | 9.81 |
| Mitchell Santner (NZ) | 10 | 7 | 2/24 | 38.85 | 8.24 |
| Md Siraj (IND) | 2 | 6 | 4/17 | 6.83 | 5.12 |
Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Hamish Bennett and Mohammed Siraj all finished on six wickets, with Siraj taking the fifth spot on average. His 6.83 came from just two matches, at Mount Maunganui and Napier in November 2022, a very small sample.