IND A vs NZ A: India A were bowled out for 113 on day 1 of the 1st unofficial Test at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln on Saturday 24 October 2026. New Zealand A closed on 135/3, a lead of 22 runs. It is the first of three four-day matches. Play starts at 10:30 AM New Zealand time, which is 3:00 AM IST. In India you can stream it on Sony LIV or watch on Sony Sports Ten 1 on TV.
Dhruv Jurel captains India A and keeps wicket. The side has a lot of senior Test players in it: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep. Rhys Mariu leads a New Zealand A pool that includes 11 players who have played for the BLACKCAPS. This page covers the full tour in one place.
IND A vs NZ A live score: 1st unofficial Test, day 1
New Zealand A won the toss and chose to bowl, and the Canterbury seamers ran through India A on the first day.
| Innings | Score | Key performers |
|---|---|---|
| India A, 1st innings | 113 all out (39.3 overs) | Yash Rathod 44*; Simon Keene 5/24, Zak Gibson 3/29 |
| New Zealand A, 1st innings | 135/3 at stumps (41 overs) | Rhys Mariu 76, Curtis Heaphy 37* (108 balls); Auqib Nabi 2 wickets, Mukesh Kumar 1 |
- India A collapse: KL Rahul was out for a duck and Yashasvi Jaiswal also failed. Only Yash Rathod, unbeaten on 44, held up New Zealand A for long. A few outlets give the innings as 39.2 overs; we've used 39.3.
- Keene's five-for: Simon Keene took 5/24 and Zak Gibson 3/29. One outlet wrongly calls Gibson "Jack Gibson".
- Mariu's reply: the New Zealand A captain made 76, and Curtis Heaphy batted 108 balls for 37 not out.
- Nabi on a hat-trick: Auqib Nabi took two wickets in two balls, Jayden Lennox and then Tim Robinson lbw. He starts day 2 on a hat-trick.
Day 2 starts at 3:00 AM IST on 25 October 2026. We don't have any day 2 scores yet, so check the official scorecards below for ball-by-ball updates:
- ESPNcricinfo – 1st unofficial Test live score
- New Zealand Cricket – live scoring
- BCCI – NZ A vs India A match centre
Watch out for one error: ESPNcricinfo's page for the 2nd unofficial Test shows a stray "India A won by 113 runs" result. That match hasn't been played. The 113 is India A's first-innings total in match 1.
Each day of a four-day match starts at 3:00 AM IST and stumps come at about 10:00 AM IST. By Indian breakfast time most of the day's play is done, so that's a good time to check the scorecard.
India A tour of New Zealand 2026: full schedule
The A series has three red-ball, four-day matches. It is part of India's all-format tour of New Zealand.
| Match | Dates | Venue | Start time (NZ) | Start time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st unofficial Test | 24–27 Oct 2026 | Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln | 10:30 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 2nd unofficial Test | 31 Oct–3 Nov 2026 | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 10:30 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 3rd unofficial Test | 7–10 Nov 2026 | Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln | 10:30 AM | 3:00 AM |
Why 3:00 AM and not 3:30 AM IST?
Some previews give a 3:30 AM IST start. That is wrong for this series. New Zealand is on daylight saving time (UTC+13) in October and November, so it is 7.5 hours ahead of India. A 10:30 AM start in Lincoln is therefore 3:00 AM IST.
Where to watch India A vs New Zealand A live in India
- TV: Sony Sports Ten 1 shows matches 1 and 2, according to New Zealand Cricket.
- Live streaming: Sony LIV streams all three matches.
- Is it free? No. You need a paid Sony LIV plan to stream it. Some sites say the matches are free on DD Sports, but that has only been reported for the senior T20Is, not for the A matches.
- In New Zealand: the NZC YouTube channel, with live scores on nzc.nz.
If you're deciding which plan to buy, our guide to SonyLIV plan prices for the India tour of New Zealand sets out the options. One subscription covers the A matches and the senior series.
NZ A vs IND A squads
India A squad
The BCCI announced the squad on 6 October 2026:
- Dhruv Jurel (captain, wicketkeeper)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- KL Rahul
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Sai Sudharsan
- Ravichandran Smaran
- Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper) – out of matches 1 and 2, see below
- Washington Sundar
- Akash Deep
- Auqib Nabi
- Anshul Kamboj
- Manav Suthar
- Mukesh Choudhary
- Yash Rathod
- Mukesh Kumar
Changes since then: Kumar Kushagra has replaced Pant for the first two matches. KL Rahul plays only match 1 before he joins the ODI squad. Shikhar Mohan is reported as Rahul's replacement for matches 2 and 3, but that is unconfirmed.
New Zealand A squad
New Zealand Cricket picked a 19-player pool on 23 October 2026, with 11 players who have played for the BLACKCAPS. Rhys Mariu is captain, and the pool includes Henry Nicholls, Ben Lister, Mitch Hay, Tim Robinson, Jayden Lennox, Kristian Clarke, Dean Foxcroft, Matt Fisher and Adi Ashok. NZ names 13 players for each match. The rest go to the 50-over Ford Trophy, which starts on 28 October.
NZ A XIII for the 1st unofficial Test:
- Rhys Mariu (captain)
- Boyle
- Max Chu
- Kristian Clarke
- Dean Foxcroft
- Zak Gibson
- Mitch Hay (wicketkeeper)
- Curtis Heaphy
- Simon Keene
- Jayden Lennox
- McKay
- Tim Robinson
- Sheat
Later matches: for match 2, Max Chu drops out and Matt Fisher comes in. For match 3 in Lincoln, Henry Nicholls, Nick Kelly, Ben Lister, Adi Ashok and Cam Paul come in, and Chu keeps wicket. Cam Paul is expected to make his New Zealand A debut. Mariu captains matches 1 and 2, and New Zealand will name the match 3 captain later. Some pages still show an old "probable" NZ A squad with Robert O'Donnell as captain. That list is out of date.
Squads side by side: key names
| Role | India A | New Zealand A |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Dhruv Jurel | Rhys Mariu (matches 1–2) |
| Wicketkeeper | Jurel; Kumar Kushagra (Pant's replacement) | Mitch Hay; Max Chu (match 3) |
| Top-order batters | Jaiswal, KL Rahul (match 1), Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal | Tim Robinson, Rhys Mariu, Henry Nicholls (match 3) |
| All-rounders | Washington Sundar, Anshul Kamboj | Dean Foxcroft |
| Seamers | Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Auqib Nabi | Simon Keene, Zak Gibson, Kristian Clarke, Matt Fisher, Ben Lister (match 3) |
| Spinners | Manav Suthar, Washington Sundar | Jayden Lennox, Adi Ashok |
Why Rishabh Pant isn't playing
Pant has a left-side strain. He picked it up while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup, and he is now doing rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He misses the 1st and 2nd unofficial Tests. A decision on the 3rd match will come later.
Kumar Kushagra comes in as his replacement and gives the team a second keeper alongside Jurel. For more on his role as a back-up keeper, read our piece on Kumar Kushagra as wicketkeeping cover.
Shikhar Mohan and the KL Rahul question
KL Rahul plays only the 1st unofficial Test and then joins the ODI squad, so his duck on 24 October was his only first innings of the A series. Jharkhand batter Shikhar Mohan is reported to replace him for the last two four-day matches. We haven't been able to confirm this with the BCCI or another reliable source, so treat it as unconfirmed.
The dates explain why Rahul is leaving. The first ODI is on 4 November in Auckland. The 3rd A match (7–10 November) overlaps with the 2nd ODI on 7 November and the 3rd ODI on 10 November. Anyone in the ODI squad can't play the last A match. PTI has also reported that the ODI schedule may limit how long senior players stay with the A side.
Are these official Tests?
No. They are unofficial four-day first-class matches between A teams. Players don't get Test caps, and the results don't count towards the World Test Championship. They still matter. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said "the match practice of the red ball is very important" before the senior Tests. After a day 1 total of 113, India's top order needs that practice.
How IND A vs NZ A connects to the senior India vs New Zealand series
The A matches run alongside the senior white-ball games. They are effectively a red-ball rehearsal for the two-Test WTC series at the end of the tour. Many of the India A players, including Jaiswal, Rahul, Pant, Jurel, Sundar, Sudharsan, Padikkal, Akash Deep and Kamboj, are also in the senior Test squad. The 2nd A match is at Hagley Oval, which also hosts the 2nd senior Test.
Senior India tour of New Zealand 2026 schedule
| Format | Date | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | 22 Oct | Christchurch | India won by 4 wickets |
| 2nd T20I | 24 Oct | Christchurch | India won by 4 wickets |
| 3rd T20I | 27 Oct | Wellington | – |
| 4th T20I | 30 Oct | Auckland | – |
| 5th T20I | 1 Nov | Hamilton | – |
| 1st ODI | 4 Nov | Auckland | – |
| 2nd ODI | 7 Nov | Wellington | – |
| 3rd ODI | 10 Nov | Hamilton | – |
| 4th ODI | 13 Nov | Mount Maunganui | – |
| 5th ODI | 15 Nov | Mount Maunganui | – |
| 1st Test (WTC) | 19–23 Nov | Basin Reserve, Wellington | – |
| 2nd Test (WTC) | 27 Nov–1 Dec | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | – |
Shreyas Iyer captains the T20I side, and India lead the five-match series 2–0 after the win on 24 October 2026. On that same day India A were bowled out in Lincoln. For T20I squads and streaming, see our IND vs NZ T20 live streaming and squads guide.
What to watch for in the rest of the series
- Jaiswal in New Zealand conditions: he and Rahul both failed on day 1 against the moving ball in Canterbury. Jaiswal's second innings in Lincoln, and the two matches after it, matter before the senior Tests.
- Jurel as captain and keeper: with Pant out, he has a clear chance to stake his claim for the Test spot.
- India's fast bowlers: Auqib Nabi is on a hat-trick, and Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Anshul Kamboj all want to impress before the senior Test squad is settled.
- New Zealand's fringe players: Keene, Mariu, Heaphy, Hay, Robinson and Lennox can push for places in the senior team, and Nicholls and Lister come in for match 3.
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