Team India’s preparations for the 2027 Cricket World Cup will start to gain momentum as 2026 progresses, and the most high-profile addition to the Indian cricket calendar has just been made. India is set to tour New Zealand between October and December for a marathon 12-game series, including two Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is. It is set to be the biggest bilateral cricket series ever held in New Zealand. The tour also means that India’s ODI-only stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are likely to feature in five more games.
The tour to New Zealand could also prove to be the last time that Kohli and Rohit’s last in that part of the world. Kohli, 37, and Rohit, 39, are approaching the final stage of their careers, with next year’s 50-over World Cup in their sights.
Kohli and Rohit received a grand reception in Australia during India’s white-ball tour Down Under in late 2025, with many feeling that it could be the last time they play there. It could be a similar case for New Zealand this time around.
The five-match ODI series also offers Kohli and Rohit a chance to bury all doubts over their spot in the side once and for all, should they be able to deliver in challenging conditions in New Zealand.
Despite performing very well in recent ODIs, Kohli and Rohit have not been guaranteed a ticket to the 2027 World Cup, with the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee emphasizing the need to stay in the present. However, a good showing in New Zealand would further hammer home the need to include Kohli and Rohit in India’s World Cup plans.
The series would be a major landmark as the two countries celebrate 100 years of sporting ties.
The 40-day tour will begin with the opening T20I in Christchurch on October 22.
The T20I series will be followed by the ODI leg, which will start at Eden Park in Auckland on November 4.
The Test series will commence at the Cello Basin Reserve in Wellington from November 19 to 23, while the second and final Test will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from November 27 to December 1.
“When it comes to cricket – it simply doesn’t get bigger than India and we’re determined to deliver New Zealanders a tour like no other,” NZC Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Glenn Critchley said.
“This will be about more than just the cricket on the field – it will be a celebration of New Zealand’s shared history and culture with India, and our burgeoning rivalry and friendship through cricket.
“The passion and the following this team has is staggering — not to mention some of the players expected to tour such as Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah — so we’re bracing for the intensity and fandom that will accompany the tour,” he added.
The series will mark India’s first Test tour of New Zealand since the 2019-20 season.
Since then, New Zealand have visited India twice, including their historic 2024-25 tour when they completed a 3-0 sweep in the Test series.
The New Zealand Government will be supporting the India tour alongside adjacent sporting tours by the country later in the year, as 100 years of sporting ties between New Zealand and India are commemorated.
“It’s always a special occasion playing India,” New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi said.
“They’re an unbelievable cricket team, full of talent and star power – you know every time you face them it’s going to be seriously challenging. The rivalry we’ve built in recent years is pretty staggering and I’m sure this tour will deliver many more big moments.
“Then there’s the Indian fans and the energy and noise they bring – it really is like nothing else and something everyone should experience at least once in their life.
Sodhi was born in Ludhiana and moved to New Zealand with his family when he was just four years old.
“I’m really proud of my Indian heritage and to represent my community out here in Papatoetoe today – literally just around the corner from where I grew up is so cool,” he said.
“To bring my worlds and cultures together here in South Auckland is special and I just can’t wait for the tour to kickstart the home summer.”
India’s Tour of New Zealand Schedule
1st T20I – 22 October, Christchurch
2nd T20I – 24 October, Christchurch
3rd T20I – 27 October, Wellington
4th T20I – 30 October, Auckland
5th T20I – 1 November, Hamilton
1st ODI – 4 November, Auckland
2nd ODI – 7 November, Wellington
3rd ODI – 10 November, Hamilton
4th ODI – 13 November, Mount Maunganui
5th ODI – 15 November, Mount Maunganui
1st test – 19-23 November, Wellington
2nd Test – 27 November-1 December, Christchurch
With PTI inputs
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