India vs New Zealand Prediction: First blood to the Kiwis in 1st T20I

The cricket just keeps coming as India and New Zealand switch from 50-overs to the shorter form for a five-game set. Jamie Pacheco previews the 1st T20I from Nagpur on Wednesday, January 21, start time 13:30.  

Jamie showed a good profit across the recent ODI series between these two teams and is looking to do the same here, with a wager on the Kiwis as outsiders and on Hardik Pandya at a big-looking 9/1 for India top bat. Let's check out his India vs New Zealand Predictions...

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Match Preview:

India  

India lost the ODI Series to New Zealand 2-1, with the third match on Sunday an excellent and entertaining run-fest in Indore that the Kiwis won by 41 runs, but was one where India could easily have won in a mammoth chase. 

How they may rue the fact that Virat Kohli is retired from T20Is when the World Cup comes along next month after a Sunday masterclass where he scored 124 off 108 balls. There's no Rohit Sharma or Ravindra Jadeja either at the WC, with both also retired from the format.  

All in all, it's likely to be a very different-looking side they field in the 1st T20I to the one that played on Sunday. Shubman Gil has been dropped.  

Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Varun Chakravarthy are some of the big names to return to the team for this Series.  

New Zealand  

NZ showed the usual fight, resilience and excellent fielding that you'd expect from them, being impressive in all three games.   

The stand-out performer was Daryl Mitchell, who managed to top-score for his side in all three games, scoring centuries in two of them, but there were plenty of other good contributions.  

Mitchell Santner (who is skipper) returns alongside the likes of Mark Chapman, James Neesham and Matt Henry. Michael Bracewell, who led the ODI side, picked up a niggle on Sunday so may be left out. Then again, he's not an automatic pick in this format anyway.

Pitch and conditions 

We're at Nagpur first up. 

13 matches have been played here, but many didn't involve India as it was used for matches at the 2016 World Cup. 

Since the 2016 World Cup, they've played here three times – against India, Bangladesh and Australia, and won all three.  

The Australia match can be discarded as it was reduced to an eight-over affair but India defended 144 and 174 in the first two.  Anything over 170 could be very competitive here.   

The forecast suggests no rain at all.   

 Match Winner odds. 

India are 4/11, 73%, New Zealand are 2/1, 33%.  

The prices are what we'd expect, but that's not to say there isn't some value on one of them, and no surprise for guessing who that is: the Kiwis.  

Sure, India are 7-4 up in T20Is played between these two in India over the years, no surprises there either.  

But a reminder that many of those wins were secured with the services of Kohli, Sharma and Jadeja, all retired as T20I players as we know, while the absences of Sundar and Rishab Pant don't help matters either.   

It's true that the Black Caps have Mitchell's brilliant form to thank for the ODI Series win, and it's also true that he's better over 50 overs than 20; but there's no reason why he can't keep going.  

Add the Kiwis' superior fielding and the fact the brilliant Matt Henry is around, and we'd expect the prices to be considerably closer. New Zealand it is.  

*For all the latest and live India vs New Zealand 1st T20I Odds then head over to betfred.com 

India Top Batsman 

The last time India were in action, against South Africa just before Christmas, Hardik Pandya was top scoring in the 1st T20I with 59 off just 28 balls, also hitting 63 in the 4th T20I, though on that occasion it wasn't enough to top score; he also hit 133 and 75 in two domestic List A games since, so is clearly in form. 

He has a habit of starting Series well and 9/1 is a mighty big price about a player with all that experience, batting at five, who can catch up with a brilliant strike rate if needed. 

Jamie Pacheco Cricket P/L 2025: 

• Points Staked: 146 
• Points Returned: 151.7  
• Final P/L: +5.7pts  

Jamie Pacheco Cricket P/L 2026:   

• Points Staked: 6 
• Points Returned: 8.91 
• Current P/L: +2.91