January 2026 mein, jab thand ke mausam mein cricket ka jadoo chalega, yeh dono teams 3 ODI aur 5 T20I matches mein ek doosre se bhidegi. Lekin sach batao, New Zealand ke liye yeh koi asaan safar nahi hone wala. India ke against unka white-ball record toh waise bhi kuch khas nahi raha hai – pichle aath T20I mein bas ek jeet, aur ODI mein toh saat match se haar hi haar. Yaad hai na, 2023 mein India ne unhe ODI series mein 3-0 se dhulaai kardi thi? Aur T20I series bhi 2-1 se jeet li thi, Ranchi mein ek chhoti si jeet ke bawajood.
Lekin chalo, thodi si taareef bhi kar dete hain Blackcaps ki. New Zealand ke paas woh jazba hai jo kabhi bhi badi teams ko hara sakta hai. Unki team chhoti ho sakti hai, lekin dil bada hai. 2026 ke T20 World Cup ke liye yeh series ek bada mauka hai unke liye, kyunki yeh India aur Sri Lanka mein hi khela jaane wala hai. Indian conditions mein practice karna, unke spinners aur swing bowlers ke saath talmel baithana, yeh sab unke liye game-changer ho sakta hai. Aur kaun jaanta hai, shayad koi Devon Conway ya Glenn Phillips jaisa player is baar Indian bowlers ki dhajjiyaan uda de. Yaad karo 2016 ka T20 World Cup, jab Nagpur mein New Zealand ne India ko 47 runs pe samet diya tha – aisa kuch phir se ho jaye toh maza aa jaye
BCCI ne is series ke liye aath shehron ko shortlist kiya hai – Jaipur, Mohali, Indore, Rajkot, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram aur Nagpur. Yeh stadiums apne aap mein ek se badhkar ek hain. Jaipur ka Sawai Mansingh Stadium, jahan 2021 ke baad koi international match nahi khela gaya, ek nostalgic vibe deta hai. Mohali ka PCA Stadium toh waisa hai jahan 2011 World Cup semi-final mein India ne Pakistan ko haraaya tha – woh din kaun bhool sakta hai? Indore ka Holkar Stadium high-scoring matches ka adda hai, jahan 2017 mein India ne Australia ke khilaaf 50-over ka chase kiya tha. Rajkot aur Hyderabad toh modern cricket ke hubs hain, jahan runs ki baarish hoti hai. Guwahati aur Thiruvananthapuram jaise sheher bhi ab bade matches ke liye taiyaar hain, aur Nagpur ka Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium toh apne spin-friendly pitches ke liye mashhoor hai.
Yeh series dono teams ke liye ek bada mauka hai. India ke liye yeh T20 World Cup 2026 ki taiyaari ka ek aur kadam hoga, jahan woh apne title ko defend karenge. Suryakumar Yadav ki captaincy mein team naye talent jaise Shubman Gill aur Yashasvi Jaiswal ke saath dhamaka kar sakti hai. Lekin New Zealand ke liye yeh series ek chance hai apne aap ko prove karne ka. Unke paas players hain jo kabhi bhi match palat sakte hain – Mitchell Santner ki spin, Lockie Ferguson ki pace, ya phir Kane Williamson ka cool-headed batting. Agar yeh log form mein aaye, toh India ke liye mushkil khadi ho sakti hai. Yaad hai 2017 ka ODI, jab Tom Latham aur Ross Taylor ne Mumbai mein India ke muh se jeet chheen li thi? Aisa kuch phir se dekha toh maza aa jayega
Lekin phir bhi, dil se dil tak baat jati hai – India ka record New Zealand ke khilaaf itna zabardast hai ki Blackcaps ke liye yeh series ek pahad chadhne jaisa hoga. India ke paas ghar ka fayda, bheed ka support, aur woh star power hai jo har baar unhe jeet dilati hai. New Zealand chahe kitni bhi koshish kar le, unka pichla performance dekhte hue lagta hai ki unhe ek aur dhulaai ke liye taiyaar rehna chahiye. Haan, cricket mein kuch bhi ho sakta hai, lekin jab baat India ke ghar ki aati hai, toh shayad New Zealand ke liye yeh ek lambi, thakane wali ladai hogi.
