India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer believes his team can adapt quickly to New Zealand’s playing conditions ahead of the five-match T20I series, which begins on Thursday, October 22. Despite having limited preparation time following a demanding home series against the West Indies, Iyer remains confident that the players’ previous experience in New Zealand will help them settle in quickly.

The Indian squad had only a five-day gap between the conclusion of the West Indies T20I series and the start of the New Zealand tour. After recently arriving in the country, the visitors have just one practice session before the opening match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

India’s ability to adjust to overseas conditions has come under scrutiny following challenging tours of Ireland and England, alongside their participation in the Asian Games 2026 campaign in Japan. However, Iyer believes the team can put those difficulties behind them and focus on preparing effectively for the upcoming challenge.

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Speaking at the pre-series press conference, the Indian captain explained that the conditions in New Zealand would not be entirely unfamiliar to the squad. He also highlighted the importance of understanding the pitch during the practice session before finalising individual strategies. “I have also come here before, and it is not like these are completely different conditions. But if we look at the England series, they prepared wickets according to our batting style. Right now, no one knows how the wicket is going to be. So, we will try to acclimatise as soon as possible. After we have a good practice session, every individual will have a fair idea about how to plan,” Shreyas Iyer said, as quoted by RevSportz.

Iyer has previous experience playing in New Zealand, having toured the country with the Indian team in 2020 and 2022. He scored his maiden ODI century in Hamilton and finished as the leading run-scorer in the three-match ODI series. In T20I cricket, he has recorded an average of 33.20 and a strike rate of 131.75 across seven appearances in the country. Meanwhile, India’s packed international schedule has left the players with little time to rest. The team has already played seven T20Is in October, matching the number of T20Is New Zealand have played since the conclusion of the 2026 T20 World Cup in March.

Despite the demanding schedule, Shreyas Iyer believes regular international cricket also provides opportunities to learn and improve. He stressed that the team is focused on finding ways to win rather than making excuses about travel or preparation time. “We have done that in the past, after finishing the Afghanistan series, we went to Japan and got more matches in between. But it’s fun at the same time, to be travelling, playing and getting accustomed to new conditions,” Iyer said.

He added that the team had received great motivation from the Māori people and was determined to approach the series with a positive mindset.

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India have retained most of the squad that recently drew 2-2 against the West Indies at home. The notable additions are experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Varun Chakravarthy, whose return could strengthen the bowling attack as India look to begin the New Zealand series on a winning note.