New Zealand will look to bounce back strongly after a heartbreaking defeat in the first T20I against India on Thursday, October 22. The second T20I in the five-match series will also be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24.
The first T20I turned out to be a run-fest. New Zealand posted 225/4 on the back of Glenn Phillips’ unbeaten 82 off 40 balls. Finn Allen and Bevon Jacobs also chipped in with handy contributions. Mayank Yadav was the best bowler on show for India as he ruffled a few feathers with his pace. All eyes were on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who bowled for the first time in international cricket in almost four years. However, the veteran seamer failed to make an impact, finishing with figures of 0/49.
In reply, Sanju Samson got India off to a sensational start alongside Abhishek Sharma. The duo added 93 runs inside the powerplay. Samson went on to score 67 off 33 balls. The Kiwis bounced back strongly through the middle overs as the spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell struck vital blows.
However, Shreyas Iyer held the innings together and after he was dismissed, Naman Dhir showed maturity beyond his years to take India home with two balls and four wickets to spare.
Both teams will look to come up with better bowling plans in the upcoming game. Familiarity with the conditions might help them play an even better brand of cricket on Saturday.
NZ vs IND: Match Details
| Match | New Zealand vs India, 2nd T20I, India tour of New Zealand 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Saturday, October 24, 2026, 12:30 PM |
| Venue | Hagley Oval, Christchurch |
| Broadcast and Live Streaming | Sony Sports Network Channels, Doordarshan, and SonyLIV (App and Website) |
Hagley Oval, Christchurch: Pitch Report
The Hagley Oval is expected to dish out another high-scoring clash. The outfield is lightning quick and bowlers will have to execute their plans to perfection to restrict damage. While the boundaries are on the bigger side, the trueness of the surface will aid batters.
NZ vs IND: Head-to-Head Record in T20Is
| Matches Played | 32 |
| Won by New Zealand | 17 |
| Won by India | 12 |
| No Results | 03 |
| First-ever fixture | September 16, 2007 (New Zealand Won) |
| Most recent fixture | October 22, 2026 (India won) |
NZ vs IND: Predicted Playing 11s
New Zealand
Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (WK), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Matt Henry/Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson.
India
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav.
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