India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Why Suryakumar Yadav has to score runs

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Dialling up the intensity as #TeamIndia steps into T20I mode to take on New Zealand ⚡️ #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/RSE2DXLFXA

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 20, 2026

Additionally, it may also have to do with the form of some key players, as well as recent surprising tides of change within Indian ranks. Each of India’s recent ICC tournaments have been coupled with uncertainty. This time around, their team was settled and in good form before the selectors decided to throw up a surprise. They dropped vice-captain Shubman Gill, struggling for runs in the shortest format, and drafted Ishan Kishan from the wilderness.

Eyes on the batting

Kishan, who has not featured for India since November 2023, will play in Nagpur on Wednesday in the injury-induced absence of Tilak Varma, skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed. Sanju Samson, who was shuffled around to accommodate Gill, first in the middle order and then out of the squad altogether, is expected to retake his place as opener.

Then there is the form of the captain himself: Surya has gone 22 innings without a 50+ score for India, and he is in desperate search for some runs.

India’s late-evening training session here on Tuesday reflected the malaise. Samson trained alongside opener Abhishek Sharma, spending most of his time taking on fast bowlers and the side-arm, hinting at the prospect of him opening the innings. Just as he has done before recent fixtures, Surya spent the longest time in the nets among his teammates, practicing against a mixture of both spin and pace.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav and vice captain Shubman Gill in action against South Africa in Dharamsala. (CREIMAS for BCCI)

Local buzz for this match was seemingly minimal. The interiors of Nagpur did not look like they were awash with anticipation, nor were there the usual scenes of healthy crowds and surrounding police presence at the stadium on Tuesday. The Kamtee Road flyover, the approach road to the stadium, that prominently advertises itself as the ‘second longest flyover in Asia,’ did not have room to display billboards for the game. This may not reflect the teeming numbers that are expected to flock for an India game in this city that boasts a robust cricket culture – the local association, Vidarbha, just won the 50-over domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy. It may have more to do with the ground’s location, on the outskirts of the city in nearby Jamtha.

But New Zealand’s new status as India’s nemesis, and the keen eyes with which the hosts’ batting lineup will be observed, have heightened the stakes for this series. It has lifted it out of the mundanity that can be expected when the in-form No. 1-ranked T20 team hosts a team that has never beaten them on their turf.

Both captains played down the spice, stressing that one eye was firmly planted on the World Cup. “It must have been 10 years to the Test series defeat, no?” Surya jokingly quipped at the suggestion that New Zealand have become a bit of a thorn in India’s side. “Let’s not talk about the past. The T20 format is going to start now and if we talk about that, we have been playing really well. Yes, the pressure is there. Without pressure, there would be no fun in playing international cricket either. When we take on the pressure and the responsibility and go into the ground, the energy is great. I’m sure this will be a great series.”

He has good reason to believe that. Unlike India’s indifferent form in the other two formats, India have been formidable under him in T20s. There is no reason that should not continue into a highly-anticipated title defence next month. But a last-minute wobble can add all sorts of doubt. Surya has to lead from the front, this time with the bat, to quell that.