India looked to avenge their series loss in the three-match contest as the reigning T20 World Cup winners host New Zealand in a five-game series, starting January 21.
India made a positive start to the ODI series with a win in Vadodara but New Zealand bounced back in style to win the next two games and clinch a historic series win, courtesy of Daryl Mitchell's back-to-back centuries.
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The hosts missed the service of star batter Tilak Varma in the initial matches of the series due to a groin injury, as Shreyas Iyer has replaced the southpaw. Ishan Kishan has also returned to the Indian team for the first time since 2023.
New Zealand welcomeed back stars like Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, who were rested for the ODI series.
In this article, AllSportsPeople tracked the first T20I match and provided each team's live win probabilities.
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India vs South Africa 1st T20I live
New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first.
End of NZ innings:
India won by 48 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
10 overs: NZ 87/3 (Philipps 48*, Chapan 15*)
New Zealand lose another wicket but Glenn Phillips closes in on his half-century. India remain firm favourites to win the first match of the series.
6 overs: NZ 50/2 (Philipps 28*, Robinson 20*)
New Zealand stage a comeback after losing two early wickets.
20 overs: IND 238/7
Rinku Singh hits 44 off 20 deliveries as India post a massive total of 238 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.
15 overs: 182/5 IND (Pandya 25*, Rinku 3*)
India are on course to put up a massive total on board as they close in on 200 runs.
10 overs: 117/2 IND (Sharma 60*, SKY 31*)
Abhishek Sharma completes his half-century as India go past 100-run mark within the first 10 overs.
6 overs: 68/2 IND (Sharma 31*, SKY 18*)
Abhishek Sharma is on fire as India reach 68 runs for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Win percentage
| Team | Win percentage |
| India | 100% |
| New Zealand | 0% |
India vs South Africa 1st T20I odds
India start as favourites in the first T20I against New Zealand, according to Dafabet. Here are the odds:
| Team | Odds |
| India | N/A |
| New Zealand | N/A |
India vs. New Zealand Playing XI
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy
India vs. New Zealand schedule, full list of fixtures for T20I series
| Match | Date | Venue | City | Time (IST) / Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Jan 21 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur (India won by 48 runs) | Nagpur | 7:30 p.m./- |
| 2nd T20I | Jan 23 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium | Raipur | 7:30 p.m./- |
| 3rd T20I | Jan 25 | Barsapara Stadium | Guwahati | 7:30 p.m./- |
| 4th T20I | Jan 28 | ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium | Vishakapatnam | 7:30 p.m./- |
| 5th T20I | Jan 31 | Greenfield International Stadium | Thiruvanthapuram | 7:30 p.m./- |
Related links:
- India's cricket calendar for 2026
- ODI team of the year 2025: Best playing XI of 2025 in men's ODI cricket
- T20I team of the year 2025: Best playing XI of 2025 in men's T20 cricket
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