IND vs NZ 1st T20I: IND defeat NZ by 48 runs

India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: IND defeat NZ by 48 runs & lead The series by 1-0

India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Highlights: Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh Shine as he played extraordinary & India wins By 48 Runs.

In the first T20I of the 2026 series held on January 21, India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

​Match Result:

​India: 238/7 (20 overs)

​New Zealand: 190/7 (20 overs)

​Outcome: India won by 48 runs; lead the 5-match series 1-0.

​Key Highlights:

​India's Batting:

​Abhishek Sharma: Scored a match-winning 84 off 35 balls (5 fours, 8 sixes). He reached his half-century in just 22 balls, the fastest by an Indian against New Zealand in T20Is. Abhishek Sharma scored 84 off 35 balls  with five fours & eight sixes. So India  wins the match by 48 runs.

​Rinku Singh: Provided a late surge with an unbeaten 44 off 20 balls & Hardik Pandya (25 off 16 balls). 

Suryakumar Yadav : Scored 32 off 22 balls in his 100th T20I appearance.

​Total: 238/7 is India’s highest-ever T20I total against New Zealand.

Jacob Duffy was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 27. New Zealand team restricted to 190 by Indian Team for 7. Varun Chakaravarthy & Shivam Dube took two wickets. Glenn Phillips scored 78 Runs.  

​New Zealand's Chase:

​Glenn Phillips: Led the resistance with 78 off 40 balls, keeping the Kiwis in the hunt for a period.

​Mark Chapman: Contributed 39 runs, but the target proved too high after early wickets (Conway and Ravindra fell within the first two overs).

​Bowling: For India, Varun Chakaravarthy (2/37) and Shivam Dube (2/28) were the most successful wicket-takers.

India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs &  took 1-0 lead in the 5-match series at Nagpur on Wednesday, 21st Jan, 2026.