Seifert and Allen give New Zealand flying start against India in 1st T20I

New Zealand off to a flyer after India opt to bowl

New Zealand made a blistering start to the first T20 International against India at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday, 22 October 2026. India won the toss and chose to field, and the hosts raced to 41 for 0 from 3.3 overs, with 16.3 overs remaining, when the score was last updated.

Openers dominate

Tim Seifert (20 not out off 13 balls, 2 fours, 1 six, strike rate 153.85) and Finn Allen (20 not out off 9 balls, 4 fours, strike rate 222.22) were both unbeaten at the update, putting on a half-century stand without loss.

"IND vs NZ 1st T20I: Seifert, Allen give New Zealand a flying start against India," read a companion report on the match.

India's bowlers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned figures of 2-0-21-0, while Arshdeep Singh bowled 1.3 overs for 20 runs. New Zealand's only extra was a single no-ball, contributing one to the total.

Lineups

New Zealand

Tim Seifert (wicket keeper), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitch Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson.

India

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket keeper), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav.

The match forms part of the India vs New Zealand 2026 limited-overs series, for which a dedicated coverage hub has been launched with schedule, squads and live updates.