Team India arrive in Christchurch ahead of New Zealand multi-format tour

Christchurch, Oct 20 : The first batch of Indian men's cricket team have touched down here ahead of a packed tour of New Zealand, with the opening T20I scheduled for Thursday.

New Zealand Cricket shared pictures of the Indian contingent, which includes coach Gautam Gambhir, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Naman Dhir, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, fast bowling coach Morne Morkel and members of the support staff, arriving at Christchurch Airport, marking the start of a tour that will see the two sides compete across all three formats until December 1.

India's itinerary features five T20Is, five ODIs and two Test matches, beginning with the shortest format before moving to the 50-over series and concluding with the red-ball contests.

The T20I leg will run from October 22 to November 1, with matches scheduled across Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. The five-match ODI series follows from November 4 to 15, before the teams meet for Tests in Wellington from November 19 to 23 and Christchurch from November 27 to December 1.

The tour presents India with multiple objectives. The ODI series will offer valuable preparation ahead of the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, while the Test matches carry significance for the team's campaign to reach the World Test Championship final.

India have assembled an extensive group of players across the three formats, with leadership responsibilities split between Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. Gill will captain the first three ODIs and the Test side, while Iyer will lead the T20I team and take charge of the final two ODIs.

The squad selections also bring opportunities for emerging players, with wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra and fast bowler Yash Thakur earning maiden ODI call-ups for the final two matches. Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj have also returned to the Test squad.

With the opening T20I just days away, India's arrival in Christchurch signals the beginning of a demanding assignment against the Blackcaps, spanning 12 international matches over six weeks.