IND vs NZ 1st T20I expected playing XI: Bhuvneshwar set for his comeback, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made to wait

India have had one training session in Christchurch before Thursday's series opener against New Zealand, and two questions dominated it: will Bhuvneshwar Kumar finally play his first T20I for India in almost four years, and will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi get a game?

Captain Shreyas Iyer answered the second one at his press conference on Wednesday. The answer for the first one looks like yes.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I: match details

• Date: Thursday, 22 October 2026
• Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch
• Start time: 12:30 PM IST (8 PM local). Toss at 12 noon IST.
• TV and streaming in India: Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV

Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play?

Probably not on Thursday. Sooryavanshi sat out all five T20Is against West Indies, and Iyer made it clear that the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson stays.

"It's important that a talent like him is always happy around the dressing room. And he is very young. He has more years to get opportunities," Iyer said, as reported by ANI. "It's not like he can walk in straight away. Because our openers are also scoring consistently. And they also won the World Cup."

That is a fair point. Abhishek and Samson opened for India when they won the T20 World Cup in March, and both struck at well over 180 against West Indies. For a 15-year-old, a tour of New Zealand in early spring, with the ball swinging under lights, is useful time in the nets even without a game. His chance is more likely to come later in the series if India rotate, or if one of the openers gets injured.

Will Bhuvneshwar Kumar play?

Very likely. Bhuvneshwar was named in India's XI for the fifth T20I against West Indies in Bengaluru, but rain ended that match before he could bowl a ball. So his comeback is still waiting.

He was the bowler everyone watched at Hagley Oval on Wednesday. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel stood behind his net as he bowled, according to Sportskeeda.

Iyer also explained why the selectors went back to him. He said India's bowling group had a lot of new faces after the IPL, and that Bhuvneshwar brings the experience they did not have. "We were lacking that a bit, especially after the IPL," Iyer said.

Bhuvneshwar has 90 wickets in 87 T20Is, and his last game for India was against New Zealand in Napier in November 2022. Since then he has taken more IPL wickets than anyone, including 28 for RCB in 2026, when he won the Purple Cap.

Former Mumbai Indians fielding coach James Pamment told IANS that Bhuvneshwar will be "rubbing his hands" at the chance to bowl in early-season New Zealand conditions. Pamment also said Arshdeep Singh's left-arm angle could trouble Finn Allen.

Is Arshdeep Singh fit?

Arshdeep was hit on the arm by a Shamar Joseph bouncer in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. He was still named in the XI for the rained-off game in Bengaluru and travelled with the squad to New Zealand. There has been no fresh injury update from the BCCI, so expect him to open the bowling with Bhuvneshwar.

He needs five more wickets to become the first Indian man to 150 T20I wickets.

India's training in Christchurch

India landed in New Zealand only a few days after the rain-hit Bengaluru game and arrived jet-lagged. They had a single full session at Hagley Oval on Wednesday, the day before the match.

Bhuvneshwar trained in the new India jersey, and Sooryavanshi was also in the nets. Iyer and New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner unveiled the series trophy at the ground.

Iyer played down the change in conditions. "It is not like these are completely different conditions," he said, as reported by Sportskeeda, pointing out that he and several others had toured New Zealand before. He also said no one knew yet how the pitch would play, so the team would try to adjust as quickly as possible.

The bigger change may be the time of day. Matches start at 8 PM local time, and Pamment warned that temperatures could be close to 10 degrees, which is a big drop from Indian conditions.

The selection question: Naman Dhir or a third seamer?

The top five picks itself: Abhishek, Samson, Ishan Kishan, Iyer and Tilak Varma. The question is the balance after that.

On a green Hagley pitch, a spin all-rounder is less useful. ESPNcricinfo's preview suggests India may leave out Naman Dhir and play Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy as the two seam-bowling all-rounders, with Axar Patel as the only spinning all-rounder.

The last place is between Varun Chakaravarthy, back in the squad after missing the West Indies series, and Prince Yadav as a third specialist seamer. If the pitch is very green, Prince could get the nod. Kuldeep Yadav and Mayank Yadav look likely to miss out.

Hagley Oval T20I stats

Hagley Oval is a park ground in central Christchurch, with grass on the pitch and plenty of movement for seamers under lights. India have never played a men's T20I there, so Thursday is a first for the whole squad.

• Average first-innings score: about 159
• Highest total: 236 for 4 by England against New Zealand on 20 October 2025, when Phil Salt made 85 and Harry Brook 78 off 35 balls. England won by 65 runs.
• Lowest total in recent years: Pakistan were bowled out for 91 on 16 March 2025. Jacob Duffy took 4 for 14 and Kyle Jamieson 3 for 8, and New Zealand won by nine wickets inside 11 overs.
• Rain: the first T20I between New Zealand and England at the ground in October 2025 was washed out.

What this means: a total of 170 to 180 should be competitive, but England showed that a team with power hitters can go well past 200 if the top order gets through the new ball. The first six overs, against Matt Henry, Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson, will probably decide the game. Sides winning the toss here usually bowl first.

New Zealand team news

New Zealand are without Mark Chapman (hamstring) and Zak Foulkes (hip flexor) for the whole T20I series, and Rachin Ravindra is out with a dislocated shoulder. Josh Clarkson and Blair Tickner came into the squad. With Chapman out, Devon Conway is expected to bat at three behind Finn Allen and Tim Seifert.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I expected playing XIs

India (expected): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy or Prince Yadav

New Zealand (expected): Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson

TryBall's match page will have both confirmed XIs as soon as the toss is done at 12 noon IST, followed by the ball-by-ball live score.

Head-to-head

India have won their last two bilateral T20I series in New Zealand, in 2020 and 2022, and 16 of their 20 completed T20Is against New Zealand since January 2020.