Top 3 batters to watch out for in NZ vs IND T20I series

India and New Zealand are set to face each other in a five-match T20I series beginning on October 22, 2026. The opening match will be played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.

India arrive in New Zealand after a 2-2 draw in the T20I series against West Indies. The all-time T20I head-to-head between the two sides stands at 14 wins for India and 13 for New Zealand across 29 meetings, with two matches ending as a tie or no result. Shreyas Iyer leads India while Mitchell Santner captains New Zealand, whose squad includes 13 players from the side that finished runners-up to India at the T20 World Cup 2026.

1. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer heads into the series after finishing as India's leading run-scorer in the recent T20I series against West Indies, accumulating 181 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 205.68. His tally included a maiden T20I century of 102 not out, scored on October 6, 2026, in Lucknow, followed by a quickfire 40 off 18 balls. His subsequent scores of 1, 16 and 22 in that series underline the need for greater consistency as he leads the side in New Zealand.

Iyer has a strong record in New Zealand across formats, with 512 international runs in 13 matches at an average of 51.20. In T20Is specifically, he has scored 166 runs in seven matches there, averaging 33.20. Overall, he has played 68 T20I matches, accumulating 1,615 runs at a batting average of 32.95. His experience of local conditions and his responsibility as captain make him one of the key players to follow in this series.