India vs New Zealand, NZ in IND, 5 T20Is, 2026 Jan 23 Full score card

FOUR! Zakary Foulkes finishes with a boundary! Arshdeep Singh bowls another full toss, on middle. Foulkes moves across again and gets his bat in front of the body to flick it away over square leg, and the ball races away to the fence for four runs. 17 from the over. New Zealand finish on 208/6!

SIX! Just over! Varun Chakaravarthy should have done better there. Arshdeep Singh misses his yorker and bowls a full toss, on middle. Zakary Foulkes shuffles across and scoops it. He hits it high in the air towards fine leg, where Varun runs to his right, extends both his arms but fails to reach out as the ball drops over the fence for a biggie. 200 UP FOR NEW ZEALAND!

Fuller and outside off again, Santner reaches out and forces it down to long off and takes the run. He wants the second but the long on fielder charges it and throws it back to the keeper to keep Santner off strike.

Right in the blockhole, outside off, Mitchell Santner only manages to jam it back to the bowler.

A low full toss, on middle, Zakary Foulkes changes his stance and reverse paddles it towards short third for a single and gives the strike back to his skipper.

WIDE! Bangs in a bouncer, on middle, just a bit too high, Foulkes lets it go. Called a wide.

FOUR BYES! Sloppy work from Sanju Samson! Arshdeep Singh tries the wide yorker, but this is a bit too outside off, goes beyond the tramline, keeps angling away. Zakary Foulkes swings but misses. Samson, behind the stumps, dives to his right but lets it under his gloves as the ball races to the third man fence for a boundary.

India have been penalised for a slow over rate. They can now have only 4 fielders outside the 30-yard circle. Arshdeep Singh (3-0-40-0) to close out the innings. Point, fine leg, mid-wicket and mid off are the four men back.

FOUR! Gets it away! Hardik Pandya just misses the yorker, serves this full and on middle and leg. Mitchell Santner somehow manages to glance it past short fine for another boundary. 200 is still very much on here.

Hard length and outside off, angling away, Mitchell Santner throws his bat at it but misses.

FOUR! Up and over! Back of a length and just outside off. Mitchell Santner opens up his stance, extends his arms to reach out and slaps it over extra cover for a boundary. He liked that one as he punches his bat and mutters something to himself.

Sharp bowling! Bangs in a quick and sharp bouncer, rises on the batter, Mitchell Santner looks to pull it away but gets hurried by the pace and bounce. Looks at the umpire but gets nothing.

Goes fuller and on off, Foulkes attempts another scoop but misses again and the ball deflects off his pads towards square leg. The batters cross for a leg bye.

FOUR! Calls for two, but gets a boundary here! Slower one, full and on middle, Zakary Foulkes reaches out and lofts it. He loses his bottom hand but gets it over the bowler. Ishan Kishan from long on runs to his left and tries to push it back with his left hand but fails to stop it from going to the fence.

Fuller and around off, Zakary Foulkes shuffles across to scoop it away but misses as the ball goes off his pads to the leg side. A leg bye taken.

Another slower one, full and on middle, Mitchell Santner just chips it over the bowler's head for one. Rana does well to run behind to keep it to one.

Hard-length delivery, on middle, Mitchell Santner backs away, loses his bottom hand and guides it away towards point.

FOUR MORE! Easy pickings! Short of a length and well outside off. Santner gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it through point for another boundary. The field is straight, but the length is short, quips Harsha Bhogle on air.

FOUR! Just over! Pitched up but on middle and leg. Mitchell Santner knows that square leg is up in the circle and flicks it. He does not get it from the middle but gets enough to clear that fielder as the ball races to the fence for a boundary. That fielder came up just before this ball.

WIDE! Slower bouncer, but too high again, Santner lets it go. Wided.

SIX! Oh..wow! That is effortless. Fuller in length and on middle and leg, Santner just gets under the ball, and with the flick of the wrists launches it over the long on fence for a biggie. Made it look easy.

Play and a miss! Good length and just around off, gets some extra bounce with pace on, Zakary Foulkes has a feel for it but gets beaten on the outside edge. 10 runs and a wicket from the last two overs.

Zakary Foulkes is in at number 8.

OUT! TAKEN! Hardik Pandya strikes now. He rolls his fingers to take pace off, hits the length hard and on off. Mark Chapman opens up his stance to heave it across the line but goes through his shot a bit too early. Gets a top edge as the ball flies towards long on, where Abhishek Sharma runs forward and takes a fine catch. Chapman goes back for a scratchy 10 off 13, and New Zealand are 161/6 now.

Right in the blockhole, on leg, Mitchell Santner jams it out towards long off for another run. 13 balls since the last boundary.

Hard length and outside off, Mark Chapman backs away but has to reach out for it and swats it to long off for just a run.

WIDE! Tries the slower bouncer, on middle, but this is too high. Chapman leaves it alone. Called a wide.

Uppish but safe! A full toss, outside off, Mitchell Santner swings hard at it but slices it over the point region and wide of the extra cover fielder. They cross.

Back of a length and around off, Santner punches it wide of sweeper cover for a couple of runs.

A good comeback over from Arshdeep. Just 4 runs off the over. It should be pace from both ends to close out the innings. Hardik Pandya (1-0-7-0) comes back on.

Pitched up and outside off, but inside the tramline, Mark Chapman leaves it along, thinking it will be a wide, but gets nothing from the umpire.

Fuller and well outside off, Mitchell Santner steps across and winds up for the scoop but then has to adjust to the line of the ball. He tries to flick it away but gets an inside edge onto his pads as the ball rolls to the off side. They cross.

Back of a length and around off, takes pace off, Mark Chapman looks to heave it away but miscues it off the bottom edge to the left of the bowler for another run.

Well bowled! Arshdeep Singh nails the yorker, on middle, swings in a bit in the air, Mark Chapman can only get his bat down to dig it out.

Bangs this into the pitch, keeps it away from the batter, outside off. Mitchell Santner reaches out and stabs it out to sweeper cover for a run.

Short of a length and on off, Mark Chapman rides the bounce and pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Arshdeep Singh is back on. He has conceded 36 runs in his first two overs.

Slightly quicker through the air, fuller and on middle. Chapman clips it between long on and deep mid-wicket. The call is for two but the fielders in the deep are quick to get in this time. Just a single.

Drops it fractionally short, on off, Santner pats it through covers and crosses over.

Full and angled in, on middle and leg, Mitchell works it using his wrists, wide of deep mid-wicket for a brace.

FOUR! Nicely put away! Loopy full toss, on middle and leg, Santner clears the front leg and gets his hands through the ball. Drills it down the ground and the long on fielder stands no chance.

A bit short, on middle, Mark rocks back and punches it to long on. They cross.

Floated up, full and on leg, Chapman wrists it to the right of deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.

Flat and short, on off, Chapman flat bats it down to long on for a run.

Short and around off, Santner pushes it wide of cover for a single.

Slow and short, on middle, Santner stabs it down the deck.

Oh, a better throw could have been close! Slower and shorter, around middle and leg. Santner dabs it with soft hands in the vacant mid-wicket region. He comes charging back for the second run. Ishan Kishan's throw goes to the bowling end but it is a bit wide and on top of that, Varun fails to gather it, allowing Chapman to make his ground.

From around the wicket, on a nagging length, on middle. Santner hangs back to defend.

FOUR! Gets it away! Full and turning down leg, Santner needs to get some bat on it and he does. Tickles it off the pads and gets it fine enough of the sliding Arshdeep Singh at short fine leg.

Googly but it does not turn, shorter and on middle. Mitchell backs away and hits it through covers for a run.

Tossed up, full and on off, Santner lunges and taps it to cover.

Shorter and on the off stump, Santner punches it off the back foot to cover, where Shivam Dube lets it through and concedes a couple of runs.

New Zealand lose half their side now. Skipper Mitchell Santner comes out to the middle with his side in a slight spot of bother.

OUT! CAUGHT! New Zealand are losing their way here. For the second time in the game, two set batters fall in quick succession. Flighted delivery, full and keeps it near the wide guideline on off. Ravindra reaches out in front and extends his hands to go through the off side. The ball turns away to catch the outer half. It goes towards short third, where Arshdeep Singh moves forward and slides to take the catch above the turf. Rachin goes after scoring 44 runs from 26 balls. From being 98 for 2, the Kiwis are now 129/5.

Dishes out the googly, a bit short, on middle. Chapman knocks it to the left of the bowler. Kuldeep dives but the ball evades him. They cross.

Slider, full and on leg, Ravindra uses the depth of the crease and knocks it to long on for a single.

Fuller and wider on off, Rachin plays it late and down to deep backward point for a single. A wicket and 7 runs from the over.

Around leg, on a good length, Chapman flicks it through mid-wicket for a single to get off the mark.

Skidding through, going across the left-hander, Chapman pushes away from his body but is beaten for pace.

A timely wicket for India. Mark Chapman walks out to bat now.

OUT! CAUGHT! Shivam Dube gets the prized scalp. Shivam bowls the off-cutter, keeps it full and near the tramline on off. Mitchell does not move his feet at all and stays leg side of the ball. He swings to launch it back over the bowler's head. He was better off going inside out. He skies it towards long on, where Hardik Pandya takes it close to his chest. Mitchell falls for 18 (11). New Zealand are now 125/4.

FOUR! Gap picked with surgical precision! Pace off at 106.8 kph, into the deck, on off, Mitchell waits on it on the back foot and rolls his wrists on the pull. Plays it right between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket and neither of the two deep fielders really goes for it, and the ball goes right between them.

On a length, angling across off. Ravindra plays a punchy drive to deep cover for a single.

India bring on their seventh bowler. Shivam Dube replaces Abhishek Sharma.

At 94.8 kph, a bit of kick off the deck, on the shorter side, on middle. Mitchell premeditates as he charges down the track and tries to clip it away. He is beaten on the inside edge and wears it on the thigh pad.

A huge shout for LBW but turned down! Was the impact outside the line? Looked like it. Suryakumar Yadav checks with the keeper and the bowler before taking the review. Bowled from the back of the hand, flatter and fuller, on off, Mitchell drops on a knee for the sweep but the ball sneaks under the blade to hit him on the crouched back thigh. No bat involed but as expected, the impact is well outside the line. India burn a review.

Shorter and on middle, Mitchell nudges it from the crease in front of square on the leg side. Rinku Singh sprints to his right in the deep but the two was always on and they make it. They think about the third as Rinku fumbles but they stay content with two.

Drags the length back, slower through the air, on middle, Ravindra checks his shot as he looks to push it down the ground. Chips it over the bowler's head for a single.

FOUR! Extraordinary shot! Fuller and wider, on off, Ravindra reaches out and gets low as well. He drags it with a flat bat back over the bowler's head. One hand comes off the bat handle but he clears Varun and the ball races down the ground.

Wide! At 113 kph, going down leg, on the shorter side. Rachin swivels for the pull but misses. A good take by Sanju Samson by moving to his right.

Wide! Pushed across the left-hander again, on a length, Ravindra has a big swing at it but does not connect.

Pushed through by Varun, on a nagging length, Rachin flashes but misses. His back leg gets dragged out of the crease and Sanju Samson whips the bails off in a flash. The third umpire is called into action but Rachin has plonked his back leg inside the crease before the stumps were broken.

Stumping check! Not an overly excited appeal from Sanju Samson, and Rachin Ravindra looks unbothered. The replays find Rachin to be safe.

Drinks break! Quite an eventful first 10 overs. We have had everything. A wicket-maiden, and as many as 7 overs going for 15 runs or more. New Zealand have come out swinging and maintained that intent through the first half of their batting effort. The batters have been able to hit through the line, and with the dew already settling in, the ball has skimmed quickly across the outfield. The Kiwis will look to keep pushing, with plenty of batting still to come. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy both have a couple of overs left, and those 4 overs will be crucial if India are to keep the tourists to a manageable total.

FOUR MORE! Same shot, same result! Abhishek Sharma tries the yorker but misses by an inch. Daryl Mitchell manages to get underneath it and drills it past the bowler and once again Hardik Pandya can only be a spectator as it zips to the fence for another boundary.

FOUR! Powered away! Flatter, full and on middle and leg, Daryl Mitchell gets his front leg out of the way and thumps it down the ground to the long on fence. Hardik Pandya is not too far away, but did not bother chasing that as it was always going to the fence.

Flighted, full and around off, Rachin drags it off the inner half of the bat to wide long on for a run.

Goes a bit short and on middle, Daryl Mitchell works it towards long on for a single.

Fires in a yorker, outside off, Daryl Mitchell jams it out to the right of the bowler, where Sharma runs to that side to stop the run.

Floated, full and on off, turns away, Daryl Mitchell slices it away wide of long off for a couple of runs. 100 up for New Zealand!

The sixth bowling option of the night. Here's Abhishek Sharma.

A bit short and on middle, Daryl Mitchell stays back and works it through square leg for one. 15 runs and a wicket from the over.

Daryl Mitchell makes his way out to the centre. A slip and a leg slip for the new batter.

OUT! TAKEN! Kuldeep Yadav has the last laugh here. He tosses up a googly, full and on middle, turns away a bit. Glenn Phillips looks to slog it across the line but only manages a top edge due to the spin. It lobs up in the air and Hardik Pandya at point settles under it to take a good catch. Phillips walks back for 19 off 13, and the 55-run stand has been broken now.

FOUR! Fine shot! This is short again and just outside off, Glenn Phillips backs away to make room and slaps it powerfully through extra cover for four more runs.

Floated, short and on middle, turning into the batter, Glenn Phillips has no room to work with and pats it to the right of the bowler.

FOUR! Streaky, but they all count! Kuldeep Yadav sees the batter back away and fires this full, outside off. Glenn Phillips throws his bat at it and gets a thin outside edge past the keeper and the ball races to the third man fence for a boundary. The 50-run stand comes up!

SIX! Top shot! Flighted, full and on middle, Glenn Phillips stretches out in front to get to the pitch of the ball and hits it through the line to tonk it over the bowler's head for his first biggie of the night.

SIX! Into the stands! Tossed up, full and just outside off. Rachin Ravindra goes down on one knee and drags his slog sweep. He connects it right from the middle as the ball sails over the deep mid-wicket fence for another biggie. With that, Rachin also goes past 2000 T20I runs.

Another short delivery, on middle, angling in, Glenn Phillips stays back and clips it through square leg for one.

Pushed through quicker, short and outside off, Rachin Ravindra reaches out and cuts it to deep point for another run. This is good bowling, as Varun is keeping it out of the arc of the batter.

Dragged back and on on middle, Phillips hangs back and pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a run.

Goes short again and around off, Rachin punches it to sweeper cover for a single.

SIX! Rachin Ravindra is dealing in sixes here. Varun Chakaravarthy drops it short and on off. Rachin picks up the length in a trice and hammers it over the deep square leg fence for a 94-METER biggie.

Shorter in length and on off, turns in, Glenn Phillips backs away and stabs it but straight to extra cover. Just 4 runs off Kuldeep's first over. Tidy!

Flatter, full and on leg, Rachin clips it to deep mid-wicket for one.

Drags his length back, on off, Phillips punches it to long off for another run.

Flighted, full and on leg, turns away a bit, Rachin Ravindra stays back and clips it through square leg for a run.

Floated, full and on off, Glenn Phillips taps it towards cover for a quick single.

Good start! A slider, full and around off, skids through. Glenn Phillips stays back to push it away but misses it.

Kuldeep Yadav comes into the attack, replacing Varun Chakaravarthy. Ishan Kishan is back on the field.

Pitched up and on middle, angling into the pads, Rachin Ravindra flicks it straight to mid-wicket. 19 runs off the over, and the Kiwis end the Powerplay on 64/2.

SIX! BOOM! Rachin Ravindra is making full use of the last over of the Powerplay. This is an off-cutter, full and on middle and leg. Rachin picks it up early, clears his front leg away and smokes it over the deep mid-wicket fence for half a dozen more.

Looks like the ball has been lost in the moat beyond the deep mid-wicket fence. The fourth umpire is out with the box of balls. The replacement has been picked and we are ready to go.

WIDE! Good length but angling down the leg side, Rachin Ravindra tries to heave it away but misses. Called a wide.

FOUR! Gets it through! Much fuller in length and just around off, Ravindra extends his arms to reach out for it and drives it crisply through covers as the ball blazes to the fence for a boundary.

Back of a length and around leg, Rachin Ravindra nudges it away wide of deep square leg and comes back for the second run.

SIX! BANG! Rachin Ravindra gets going now. A slower one, but right in the slot of the batter, on middle. Rachin picks it up early, gets under it and dispatches it over the long on fence for a biggie. 50 up for the Kiwis!

7 balls bowled, still no runs conceded from Rana! This is full and on middle, angling in sharply. Rachin Ravindra has a slog across the line but misses and gets hit on the pads.

Out comes the googly, on a nagging length, Phillips blocks it out from the crease.

Shorter and on off, Rachin waits back and punches it to long off for a single.

Tossed up, on off, Ravindra strokes it off the front foot to cover.

Ishan Kishan is going off the field now. It looks like he has hurt his left wrist and is getting treatment from the physio.

Good effort! Sliding on with the arm, shorter and on middle, Phillips presses back and nudges it wide of mid-wicket. Ishan moves to his left swiftly and dives to get to the ball. He gets rid of the ball quickly but his throw lacks venom and that allows Glenn to make his ground.

Both the openers are back to the hut now. That brings Glenn Phillips out to the middle.

OUT! CAUGHT! Just like Rana, Chakaravarthy also strikes with his second ball. A high-risk shot from Tim Seifert and he pays the price. Floated up, on the fuller side, on middle and leg. Seifert gets the front leg out of the way and has a slog across the line. Ends up slicing it in the air towards mid-wicket, where Ishan Kishan settles under the steepler and completes the catch whilst tumbling backwards. 24(13) for Tim. India strike back with a couple of quick blows.

Pushed through first up, on a length, on middle. Tim brings his bat out in front and defends it out.

Time for some mystery spin as Varun Chakaravarthy comes into the attack.

WICKET-MAIDEN OVER! Harshit Rana bangs in a sharp bouncer, on middle, takes off sharply, Rachin Ravindra sways away to play the upper cut but misses. Superb from Rana.

Three dots in a row! Touch fuller and outside off, Rachin Ravindra uses his feet, reaches out and smears it but fails to beat extra cover once again.

Back of a length and around off, Rachin Ravindra opens the face of his bat and punches it well but straight towards extra cover.

Good-length delivery, on off, Rachin Ravindra pushes it towards extra cover.

Harshit Rana gets Devon Conway yet again, albeit in a different format. Rachin Ravindra walks out to bat at number 3.

OUT! TAKEN! Harshit Rana strikes with his second ball. The slower ball does the trick. Off-cutter, full and outside off, Conway extends his hands to play the lofted drive on the off side. Gets it right off the toe end of the blade and it is skied towards wide mid off. Hardik Pandya moves to his right and takes the catch after a couple of bobbles. Conway departs for 19 (9) and New Zealand are now 43/1.

How did that miss the stumps? Skidding through, jagging back in, on middle and leg. Conway advances but then has to adjust to the length. He presents a straight bat to defend but plays down the wrong line and the ball sails over the stumps.

So, two 18-run overs from Arshdeep Singh. We have the first bowling change as Harshit Rana replaces Hardik Pandya.

FOUR! A poor delivery, and it gets the treatment. 18 runs off Arshdeep's first over and 18 more from his second. It looks like Arshdeep has woken up on the wrong side of the bed today. Banged in short, around the left shoulder, Tim pivots on the back foot and pulls it down to deep fine leg for a boundary. New Zealand are off to a flying start. They are 43/0 after 3 overs.

FOUR! Make that a hat-trick of fours! Arshdeep spears it in full, on middle and leg. Seifert gives himself room by moving to the leg side. He gets his hands through the ball quickly and drills it between cover and mid off for another boundary.

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries. Arshdeep has now conceded 28 runs in his first 10 balls of the night. Singh takes pace off and goes into the surface, over middle. Seifert picks the slower one and he waits on it before pulling it towards the vacant deep square leg fence for four more.

FOUR! Up and over! Cross-seam delivery, pushed across the right-hander, on a length, Seifert gets the front leg out of the way and clubs it over the man at mid on for a four.

A bit of lift off the deck, angled in, on a back of a length, on middle. Conway jams it out in front of mid-wicket for one.

Arshdeep digs it in short, over middle. Seifert swivels and rides the bounce. He pulls it wide of deep backward square leg and there are two runs for the taking but Seifert slips at the bowling end and they settle with a single.

Will we have the first bowling change? No, Arshdeep Singh has been trusted with another over.

Good running! Skidding through, on a good length, on off, Tim pats it in front of mid on and pinches a quick single.

Miscued but safe! A bit fuller, shaping away, on off, Tim swings for the hills. Gets a leading edge that sails over backward point for a couple of runs.

FOUR! Not a clean connection but Seifert will take it. On top of off, on a back of a length, Tim walks across the stumps and gets inside the line of the ball. He attempts the scoop and gets it more of the edge towards deep fine leg for a four.

A big swing and a miss! Pandya hurls it on a short of a length, outside off, Seifert charges down the track to slam it back over the bowler's head but fails to connect.

On a back of a length, on off, Seifert taps it off the back foot to cover.

Whoa! That caught Seifert by surprise. Hardik hits the deck hard, on off, Tim gets his hands high to tap it back on the deck but the ball kicks up and he takes the bottom hand off the handle to avoid getting his fingers jammed against the bat handle. Fends it down on the off side.

Hardik Pandya comes from the other end to try and contain this fiery Kiwi start.

FOUR! 18 runs off the over. A highly productive first over for New Zealand. Arshdeep gets it a bit too full, on off, Conway leans into the half-volley and creams it between cover and mid off for the third four of the over.

SIX! All the way! Singh pushes the length up, outside off, Devon stays leg side of the ball and gets the width to work with. He opens the bat face and carves it over deep backward point for a biggie.

In and around the off pole, on a good length, Devon blocks it out solidly.

FOUR! Ishan Kishan's effort goes in vain. This is even fuller and a bit wide on off, Conway extends his hands and drives it in front of square. Kishan sprints and tumbles to his left in the deep to push the ball away from the fence. He gets a hand to it but it is not enough as the ball trickles into the ropes.

FOUR! Lovely shot. Conway and the Kiwis are off the mark. Closer to the off stump, on a length, Devon lets the ball come to him and plays it right under his eyes. Plays a punchy drive through point and beats the fielder in the deep to his left for a four.

Beats the bat straight away! Arshdeep pitches it up and gets the ball to move away in the air, outside off. Conway leans on and drives away from his body but is beaten on the outside edge.

We are all set to begin! It's a sea of Blue here in Raipur with a few Black spots in between, and the fans are still coming in to fill out this massive stadium. Suryakumar Yadav leads the Indian players out to the middle, as they spread out and take up their respective field positions. Devon Conway and Tim Seifert are the two openers for New Zealand. Arshdeep Singh has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Two slips in place. Let's play...

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner says that they would have bowled first as well. Mentions that the dew has settled in already, and it is not going to get any better. Shares that every time you play a quality side like India, there are lessons to be learnt. Admits that they need to be clever with their plans as a bowling unit. Informs that they have made 3 changes for this game.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav says that they will bowl first. Adds that there is already dew and they haven't chased much in recent games, so they want to challenge themselves. Mentions that the wicket looks good and it was the same one that was used in the ODI series against South Africa. Says that in every game they try to improve in all aspects and want to continue doing the same. Informs that they have made a couple of changes. Axar got hit in the last game and Bumrah is resting. Harshit and Kuldeep come into the team.

New Zealand (Playing XI) - Tim Seifert (WK) (In for Tim Robinson), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), Zakary Foulkes (In for Kristian Clarke), Matt Henry (In for Kyle Jamieson), Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy.

India (Playing XI) - Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana (In for Jasprit Bumrah), Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Axar Patel) and Varun Chakaravarthy.

Toss - 'Tails' is the call from Mitchell Santner but it has come down as a Head. India elect to bowl first.

Pitch report -  Former Indian wicket-keeper batter Deep Dasgupta informs that this is India's 100th T20I at home. Shares that the match will be played on the centre wicket, which results in the square boundaries measuring 68 metres on either side and the straight hit being 75 metres. Former Kiwi quick, Simon Doull, observes the patchy nature of the surface and jokes that the surface looks a bit like the way his head did before his hair transplant. Doull expects the pitch to play better than it looks, though it could be a touch low and slow early on. Mentions that historically, this has been a relatively low-scoring venue in T20 cricket, although it did host a high-scoring ODI recently, with over 700 runs scored here. Feels that the spinners will be in the game, considering the boundary dimensions. Deep says that although there are a few cracks, there is a sheen on the surface, which could result in the ball coming onto the bat nicely.

Only one T20I has been played at this venue, which is admittedly a very small sample size. However, there are some interesting trends to note. 6 out of the 9 night games played here last year during the Chhattisgarh Premier League were won by the side chasing. While that tournament took place in June, more recently, just last December, it was at this very venue that South Africa successfully chased down 359 against India in an ODI. Dew will once again be a factor for both teams to contend with, but they won't mind too much if the toss doesn't go their way, as this presents a good challenge to test themselves in dewy conditions. Stick around for the toss and team news.

New Zealand, on the other hand, have their task cut out in trying to contain this power-packed Indian batting unit. That said, they will welcome the challenge of testing themselves against one of the most aggressive line-ups likely to feature at the World Cup. In a blow to the Kiwis' resources ahead of the tournament, Adam Milne, who looked sharp during the SA20, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Kyle Jamieson has been named as his replacement, and he will be keen to make the most of the remaining four games and stake his claim.

India continued with their fearless approach in the opening game, with Abhishek Sharma once again leading the charge at the top. However, as the series progresses and with a World Cup on the horizon, the key question will be how India fare on days when Abhishek doesn't fire, and whether others in the batting order can step up and shoulder the responsibility.

Hello, and a warm welcome, everyone! The games come thick and fast in this series, and after just a day's break, the second T20I in Raipur is upon us. India lead the five-match series and will be keen to build on that momentum, while New Zealand will be eager to hit back quickly.

... MATCH DAY ...

Match intro - From Nagpur, the caravan now journeys to the city of Raipur for the second of five T20Is. The first punch has been landed by India, and New Zealand will be looking to respond strongly at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, much like they did in the ODI leg of the tour. New Zealand -  New Zealand bowled well in patches in the series opener, but there were far too many freebies as India powered their way to 238. Losing a couple of wickets early in the chase only made their task tougher, and they eventually fell well short. In a game where 428 runs were scored, Jacob Duffy stood out, going at under 7 an over and bowling 14 dot balls in his four overs. This is not the full make-up of the pace attack New Zealand are likely to field at the World Cup. Kyle Jamieson and Kristian Clarke are not part of the World Cup squad, but they will be keen to hone their skills in Indian conditions, especially with Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson working their way back from injury. The possibility of an eleventh-hour call-up cannot be ruled out. It was a rare off day with the ball for Mitchell Santner, while Ish Sodhi was also taken to task. With the bat, Glenn Phillips had a positive outing, but Daryl Mitchell coming in at number six was perhaps a move to give Mark Chapman a hit-out, given he wasn't part of the ODI series. New Zealand are also missing Finn Allen and James Neesham due to franchise commitments, and they will hope to piece things together better as the series moves to Raipur. India -  As for India, a win always boosts team confidence, and this one did so on an individual level as well. Suryakumar Yadav showed signs of returning to form after a quiet 2025, while Rinku Singh, back in the side after missing the South Africa series, played the finisher's role to perfection. With batting depth stretching down to number eight, India's no-holds-barred approach continued, led once again by Abhishek Sharma. With the ball, it wasn't a completely clinical outing for India. They were taken on by Glenn Phillips, and the catching left room for improvement, with multiple chances going down. A slight concern is Axar Patel, who suffered a cut to his left hand while attempting a catch. India will hope it's nothing serious and that Axar can be rested as a precaution if needed. They don't have a like-for-like spin-bowling all-rounder on the bench, though they do have specialist spin options in Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav. There has been just one T20I so far in Raipur, back in 2023, between India and Australia. How the conditions play out, and which side adapts quicker to them, will be fascinating to watch. Who are you rooting for