The key facts

  • India began a 40-day tour of New Zealand: five T20s, five ODIs and two Tests — marking 100 years of sporting ties between the countries.
  • Suryavanshi debuted for the national side in July; in eight T20Is his average is just above 30 with a strike rate of 186, below his IPL numbers.
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned after a four-year absence, while Jasprit Bumrah is resting after winning gold at the Asian Games in Japan.

Iyer: openers have earned their place

India captain Shreyas Iyer on Wednesday tempered expectations around 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, amid calls to include him in the squad for the T20 series against New Zealand starting in Christchurch this week. 'He cannot just walk straight into the side, because our openers are scoring consistently and won us the World Cup,' Iyer said, adding that the young player has 'many years of opportunity ahead of him.' Suryavanshi debuted for the national side in July but has been used sparingly against top opponents despite his standout IPL performances.

The young sensation's statistics

Suryavanshi made a splash by debuting in the IPL in 2025 at the age of 14 years and 23 days, and nine days later recorded his first century. In eight T20Is his average is just above 30 with a strike rate of 186 — below his IPL average of 44 and strike rate of almost 229. Since July, his rivals for the opener's spot, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, have averaged 25 and 30 runs at strike rates of 172 and 200 respectively. Iyer stressed that the tour will benefit the teenager even without game time: an overseas trip will give him an idea of local grounds, and next time he will be better prepared for those conditions.

Santner has plans for the teenager

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, familiar with Suryavanshi's talent from his IPL appearances, said: 'I think he has a big role in India, whether in this series or in the future. If he gets a chance — he is quite hard to stop, but we have a few plans in place for him.' According to him, conditions at the series opener at Hagley Oval will favour seam bowling, and India will have to adjust to unfamiliar conditions: 'Tomorrow evening it could be the other way around for India — a bit cold, possibly windy, cold hands.'

Squads and tour context

India arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday, two days before the start of a 40-day tour comprising five T20s, five one-day internationals and two Tests. The tour marks the 100th anniversary of sporting ties between the two countries. New Zealand will be without Will O'Rourke, Mark Chapman and Zak Foulkes for the T20 series, but will rely on the powerful hitting of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert at the top of the order. India recalled seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar after a four-year absence, while Jasprit Bumrah is resting under workload management after playing a key role in the team winning gold at the recent Asian Games in Japan.