India batted deep and played one spinner to chase 226, and Santner’s neck is New Zealand’s worry before the second T20I
India lead the five-match series 1-0 after Thursday’s four-wicket win at Hagley Oval. The two sides go again at the same ground on Saturday, starting at 12:30pm IST.
Oct 23, 2026
New Zealand do not have to travel for the rematch. The second T20I is back at Hagley Oval on Saturday night, two days after India chased 226 there with two balls to spare, and the first thing Mitchell Santner’s side need to know is whether their captain is fit to play in it.
Santner landed awkwardly on his head going for a catch in the 13th over of India’s chase and left the field. He came back to finish his spell, and afterwards he played it down. “A bit of a whiplash there, but yeah, it’s okay,” he said. The NZ Herald reported that the Black Caps still face an anxious wait on his fitness.
New Zealand need their captain
He and Michael Bracewell were the only bowlers who made India think on Thursday. Santner bowled Sanju Samson and had Ishan Kishan caught in his next over, finishing with 2 for 39, and Bracewell took 2 for 37. Matt Henry, Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson all went at more than 11 an over.
The squad is already thinner than planned. Rachin Ravindra is out of the T20Is with a dislocated right shoulder, and Mark Chapman and Zak Foulkes were ruled out before the series started. Bevon Jacobs came into the XI and made 31 off 16, adding 50 in 24 balls with Glenn Phillips, who finished 82 not out off 40.
Santner’s main complaint was the start. New Zealand bowled 16 wides, and India were 94 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. “I think the extras at the start maybe,” he said, listing what his side could do better. “I guess we have to find a way of trying to slow them down.”
Will India change a winning XI?
India went in with one specialist spinner. That was Axar Patel, while Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, back from a side strain, sat out. Shivam Dube was left out for Nitish Kumar Reddy, and the batting ran so deep that Bhuvneshwar Kumar was next in at No. 9.
The bowling paid for it. India used five bowlers and conceded 225 for 4. Bhuvneshwar went for 49 in his four overs without a wicket. It is a bet on batting depth, and on Thursday the batting only just covered it.
Dinesh Karthik does not expect a change, though he would like one. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he argued that Bhuvneshwar could bat at No. 8 and free a place for a frontline spinner. “If they believe in what I say, which is that Bhuvneshwar can bat at No.8, they don’t believe in that right now,” Karthik said. He did add that he quite liked the three-all-rounder combination, because “it gives them enough room to bowl eight overs among them.”
At the top, Samson answered the talk about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with 67 off 33 and the player-of-the-match award. Sooryavanshi, 15, is still waiting, and after a 93-run opening stand it is hard to see India moving Samson or Abhishek Sharma for him on Saturday.
When and where
The second T20I starts at 8pm local time on Saturday 24 October, which is 12:30pm IST. After Christchurch the series moves to Wellington on 27 October, Auckland on 30 October and Hamilton on 1 November.
Before Thursday, the last T20I between the sides was the World Cup final in March, which India won by 96 runs. Another win on Saturday puts them 2-0 up with three to play.