India land in Christchurch 48 hours before first T20I against New Zealand

India arrived in Christchurch less than 48 hours before the first T20I against New Zealand. Shreyas Iyer downplayed the scheduling challenge and said the team has handled similar travel in the past. The 43-day tour covers five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests.

The T20I side has played non-stop across different conditions since the West Indies series, while the Test squad will have more time to acclimatise. Eight players are making their first visit to New Zealand as part of the senior team. The Hagley Oval pitch has produced an average first-innings score of 161 in its last five T20Is.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns after a 1,425-day gap from the format to add experience to an attack still adjusting without Jasprit Bumrah. Iyer said the veteran brings knowledge from back-to-back IPL titles with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.