India's five-match T20I series against New Zealand begins October 22, 2026, and the touring squad will face a demanding schedule that continues with five ODIs and two Tests deep into November. Shreyas Iyer captains the side with Tilak Varma as his deputy. The composition of India's opening partnership has drawn attention ahead of the first match, particularly given the emergence of teenage talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Iyer addressed the opening pair question on Wednesday, the eve of the series opener. He confirmed that Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will continue as India's opening batters in the T20I format. Since being picked for the England and Ireland tour earlier this year, Sooryavanshi has featured in eight of the 21 T20Is India have played so far as regular openers Abhishek and Samson have been performing consistently.
"It's important that a talent like him (Sooryavanshi) should always be happy around the dressing room," Iyer said on the eve of a five-match series as quoted by Outlook.
"He is very young; he has more years to get opportunities. It's not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup," he added.
Both Samson and Sharma played a key role in India defending their T20I World Cup title earlier this year. At the Asian Games, Samson dropped down to number three to accommodate Sooryavanshi, allowing the youngster to open the innings. Iyer, however, believes the youngster's exposure to overseas conditions will help him prepare better for future assignments.
Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut against England in July 2026, becoming the youngest Indian to play international cricket. He has since featured in eight T20Is, accumulating 246 runs at an average of 30.75 with two half-centuries. During the Zimbabwe series in late July 2026, he finished as the overall top scorer with two fifties, including a 50 from 19 balls in the opening match.
"So, if you see, when he is coming overseas, he will get a fair idea how to play on these particular wickets. Next time, whenever he comes in these conditions, he will be very well-prepared. And he can also instruct the other team members, whoever comes here for the first time," said Iyer.
