'Oru chai chetta': Sanju Samson, KL Rahul share a laugh as India arrive in New Zealand
Led by Gautam Gambhir, India's cricket squad arrived in Christchurch for a gruelling forty-two-day tour of New Zealand, featuring twelve matches across three formats under captains Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill.
Led by Gautam Gambhir, India's cricket squad arrived in Christchurch for a gruelling forty-two-day tour of New Zealand, featuring twelve matches across three formats under captains Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill.
Led by Gautam Gambhir, India's cricket squad arrived in Christchurch for a gruelling forty-two-day tour of New Zealand, featuring twelve matches across three formats under captains Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill.
The Indian cricket team has touched down in Christchurch ahead of an extensive 42-day tour of New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared photos and videos of the squad and coaching staff, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir, arriving in the country to launch a gruelling six-week campaign.
Among the highlights of the BCCI's arrival video was a playful exchange between Sanju Samson and KL Rahul. In a candid moment, Rahul smiles and asks, 'Oru chai chetta...' (A cup of tea, brother), to which Samson playfully mimics a traditional tea vendor, shouting 'Chaya, chaya, chaye...' with a laugh. Although KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Devdutt Padikkal are not part of the T20 squad, they have also travelled with the contingent to prepare for the subsequent formats.
A packed six-week tour
India will play 12 matches over six weeks in what is set to be the longest home tour in New Zealand Cricket history. The tour kicks off with a five-match T20 series running from 22 Oct to 1 Nov, with Christchurch hosting the opening two fixtures. A five-match ODI series will follow from 4 Nov to 15 Nov, culminating in a two-match Test series.
The tour carries immense strategic importance for India on multiple fronts. The ODI series serves as crucial groundwork for the 2027 World Cup, while the Test matches are pivotal to India's qualification campaign for the World Test Championship final. Shubman Gill will lead the team in the Test series and the first three ODIs. Shreyas Iyer takes charge as captain for the T20 series and will also captain the side in the final two ODIs.
India T20 squad
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma (Vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.