Akshar Patel got injured in the first T20 match played between India and New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday (January 21). In fact, when Akshar tried to catch Daryl Mitchell’s shot during bowling, the ball hit the upper part of the index finger of his left hand. His finger started bleeding as soon as the ball hit him.

By the time the ball was hit, Akshar had bowled only three balls in the over. Since Akshar bowls with his left hand, he left the field without completing his over. Abhishek Sharma bowled the remaining three balls of Akshar’s over. Akshar’s departure from the field is raising big questions, one of which is his exclusion from the 2026 World Cup.

Vice captain of Team India in T20 World Cup

Let us tell you that Akshar has been made the vice-captain of Team India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Talking about his being out of the tournament, till now no official update has been given by BCCI on Akshar’s injury. Apart from this, it is also not known how serious the injury of the Indian all-rounder is.

Team India gained lead by winning the first T20

In the first T20 held in Nagpur, Team India defeated New Zealand and took a 1-0 lead in the series. In the match, Team India, batting first, scored 238 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. This became India’s highest total against New Zealand in T20. During this, Abhishek Sharma played the biggest innings for Men in Blue and scored 84 runs in 35 balls with the help of 5 fours and 8 sixes.

Then the Kiwi team, which came out for run chase, could score only 190 runs for 7 wickets on the board in 20 overs. During this time, Glenn Phillips batted well for the team and scored 78 runs in 40 balls by hitting 4 fours and 6 sixes. However, Phillips’ innings could not bring victory to the team. Let us tell you that the second match of the series will be played on Sunday, January 23.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I Full Highlights: Team India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, defeated New Zealand by 48 runs in the first ODI on Wednesday (January 21). Batting first in the match, Men in Blue scored 238 runs for 7 wickets on the board in 20 overs. This was India’s highest total in T20 against the Kiwi team. Glenn Phillips played a brilliant innings for New Zealand and scored 78 runs in 40 balls with the help of 4 fours and 6 sixes, but could not help the team cross the victory line.

Abhishek Sharma played the biggest innings for India in the match, scoring 84 runs in 35 balls with the help of 5 fours and 8 sixes. In bowling, Varun Chakraborty and Shivam Dubey did wonders for the team. He took maximum 2-2 wickets.

Indian team missed by 250 runs

In the match, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl. Batting first, Team India made a good start and touched the 100-run mark in just 8.4 overs, looking at which it seemed as if the figure of 250 would be easily touched, but it could not happen.

Bad start, New Zealand flop in run chase

The Kiwi team, which came on the field for the run chase, had a very bad start. The team lost its first wicket in the form of Devon Conway (00) on the second ball of the innings itself. The matter was not limited to just the early fall of the first wicket, but the team lost the second wicket in the form of Rachin Ravindra in the very next ball i.e. on the third ball of the second over. Rachin returned to the pavilion after scoring only 01 run.

After this Glenn Phillips took over the innings. The team lost the third wicket in the form of Tim Robinson, who was out after scoring 21 runs. After this, Glenn Phillips, who seemed to be the team’s last hope, returned to the pavilion on the third ball of the 14th over. After Phillips, New Zealand’s defeat was almost certain. Then while moving forward the team lost more wickets. Ultimately, New Zealand could score only 190 runs for 7 wickets on the board in 20 overs in the run chase.

The teams of India and New Zealand are facing each other for the first T20 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. In the match, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl. Team India, who came to bat first, put 238 runs on the board for 7 wickets in 20 overs. This was India’s highest total in T20 against New Zealand. Abhishek Sharma played the biggest innings for the team and scored 84 runs in 35 balls with the help of 5 fours and 8 sixes. There were 21 runs in the last over, out of which Rinku Singh scored 20 runs.

However, Team India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, could not put as big a total on the board as expected after a good start. Initially it seemed that the Indian team would reach the total of 250 runs as the team had put 100 runs on the board in just 8.4 overs. The run pace slowed down after Abhishek was out.

Innings Break!

A blistering start backed by a solid finish by #TeamIndia

Over to our bowlers now

Scorecard https://t.co/ItzV352h5X#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/dkKpQMjqc0

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 21, 2026

Apart from Abhishek, other batsmen could not do anything special.

The thing to note is that apart from Abhishek, other batsmen could not do anything special. Apart from Abhishek, no batsman could touch the half-century mark. After Abhishek’s 84 runs, the second highest high score was 44 runs, which was made by Rinku Singh, who came at number seven, with the help of 4 fours and 3 sixes in 20 balls.

Wickets fell continuously

Indian batsmen batted aggressively, but on the other hand no player was able to stay on the crease for long. Continuous fall of wickets was the biggest reason behind the low total.

Performance of New Zealand bowlers

For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson took maximum 2-2 wickets in their account. During this, Duffy spent less runs and gave only 27 runs in 4 overs. Whereas Jamieson gave away 54 runs in 4 overs. Apart from this, Kristen Clarke, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner took 1-1-1 wickets in their bag.

Abhishek Sharma batted brilliantly in the first T20 against New Zealand and scored a century in just 22 balls. During this he hit 4 fours and 4 sixes. With this he broke a big record of Yuvraj Singh. In fact, now Abhishek has overtaken Yuvraj Singh in terms of hitting sixes for India in T20 International. Yuvi had hit 74 sixes in T20 International.

The thing to note is that Abhishek has left Yuvraj behind in very few innings. Yuvi had completed 74 T20 International sixes in 51 innings. Abhishek has crossed this figure in just 33 T20 International innings. Hence Abhishek defeated his mentor 18 innings earlier.

Now behind KL Rahul

With this, Abhishek has come sixth in the list of hitting most sixes in T20 for India. KL Rahul is at fifth position in the list with 99 sixes. Now Abhishekka’s next victim will be to break KL Rahul’s record. Abhishek is known for his six-hitting ability.

Rohit Sharma- 205 sixes (151 innings)

Suryakumar Yadav- 156 sixes (94 innings)

Virat Kohli- 124 sixes (117 innings)

Hardik Pandya- 106 sixes (98 innings)

KL Rahul- 99 sixes (68 innings)

Abhishek Sharma- 81 sixes (33 innings)

Yuvraj Singh- 74 sixes (51 innings)

played a brilliant innings

Abhishek missed his century in the first T20 being played against New Zealand in Nagpur. He scored 84 runs in just 35 balls with the help of 5 fours and 8 sixes. Abhishek looked quite disappointed after being out. He would obviously be upset that he missed his century by just 16 runs.

All eyes will be on Abhishek in T20 World Cup

It is noteworthy that Abhishek has been made a part of Team India for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Obviously the eyes of the fans will be on Abhishek in the tournament. His form will be very important for the team. If he plays a good innings in a match, it will give a great start to the team, whereas if he flops, it will make a big difference to the total of the Men in Blue. Now it will be interesting to see how Abhishek performs in big events.

Star spinner Ravi Bishnoi has returned to Team India after almost a year. He has been made a part of Team India for the T20 series against New Zealand. Bishnoi’s entry came as a replacement for Washington Sundar, who was out of the series due to injury. Now the question is arising whether Ravi Bishnoi will get a chance in the first T20 of the series? The first match will be played on Wednesday (January 21).

Let us tell you that the spinner last played T20 for Team India in February 2025. The sudden inclusion of Bishnoi in Team India could also be an indication that he might get a chance in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Will you get a chance in the first T20 against New Zealand?

If the team management is looking at Bishnoi from the T20 World Cup perspective, then he may get a chance in the first T20 against New Zealand as this is the last T20 series for the Men in Blue before the World Cup. In this series, maximum opportunities will be given to those players who are part of the World Cup squad, so that the players can get match practice.

Might get a chance to replace Washington Sundar

Sundar has been made a part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. If he is not fit for the upcoming T20 World Cup, then like in the New Zealand T20 series, Bishnoi can be made a part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. On the other hand, all countries have permission to make changes to their squads till January 31. In such a situation, Bishnoi can also be directly made a part of the World Cup team.

Ravi Bishnoi’s career

Talking about Ravi Bishnoi’s international career, he mainly plays T20 cricket for Team India. Till now he has played 1 ODI and 42 T20 International matches. He has taken 1 wicket in his only ODI. Apart from this, Bishnoi has taken 61 wickets in his account in T20.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I India Playing 11: The ODI series between India and New Zealand has concluded. Now both the teams will face each other for the T20 series, the first match of which will be played on Wednesday (January 21) at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. After the 0-2 defeat in the ODI series, the Men in Blue under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav would like to start the T20 series with a win at any cost. The biggest question for victory is arising regarding the playing eleven.

Before the start of the series, the biggest problem for the host team came in the form of Tilak Verma. Due to stomach problem, Tilak is out of the first three matches of the series. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have returned to the T20 team after a long time. So let us know how the Indian team can be for the first match.

These players may get a chance

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson can be seen with left-right combination at the opening. Sanju may get a chance as a wicketkeeper.

Moving forward, captain Suryakumar Yadav can land at number three. After this Ishan Kishan can be placed at number four. Ishaan last played T20 for Team India in November 2023. He is also a part of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Therefore, the chances of left-handed Ishan Kishan getting a chance increases further.

The thing to note is that due to Ishaan, Shreyas Iyer may have to sit out. At present Iyer is not a part of the T20 World Cup. Teams have permission to make changes to their squads till January 31.

After this, Akshar Patel can land at number five. Then star all-rounder Hardik Pandya may arrive at number six. After this Rinku Singh can be seen playing the role of finisher at number 7.

bowling department

In the bowling department, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah can take charge of the pace factory, while Varun Chakraborty can be included as the main spinner.

Team India’s probable playing 11 for the first T20

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakraborty.