Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India have won 18 of the last 25 T20I matches, which is a testament to the team’s consistency. Opener Abhishek Sharma played a major role behind this success, who led the team forward with aggressive batting right from the start. Also, Varun Chakraborty’s mystery spin in the middle overs stopped the opponent’s run pace. New Zealand, on the other hand, are not far behind—they are in a confident position after the 2024 T20 World Cup with 13 wins in 21 matches.

The biggest question mark in this series is Suryakumar Yadav’s own form. No fifties in last 19 matches, only 218 runs from his bat. In the interest of the team, he dropped himself to number four, so that Tilak Verma could bat more time. However, his lack of runs with the bat as captain could have an impact in the dressing room. In such a situation, the discussion about not being a consistent performer like Shreyas Iyer in the team is also increasing.

On the positive side, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are returning to this series. Hardik’s all-round skills bring balance to the team and Bumrah’s presence sharpens the bowling attack. Varun Chakraborty can be India’s big weapon in the middle overs, especially when Kuldeep Yadav is out of form. Varun’s bowling in the seventh to fifteenth over is capable of turning the match.

The New Zealand team is no less strong. In the last one year they have had great success including a clean sweep of the Test series and an ODI series win against India. With the likes of Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Jacob Duffy, the Kiwi team is set to give India a tough challenge. As a result, this series will be considered not only as a preparation stage, but also as a battle of prestige between two powerful teams.