Vaibhav Sooryavanshi back in India's XI, but in new batting role

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi returns to India's playing XI for the 2nd T20I against New Zealand, but the teenage batter will slot in at No.3 instead of opening. India retain their opening pair as Shreyas Iyer opts to field in Christchurch.NZ vs IND 2nd T20I: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi makes his return to the Indian playing XI. (Image: PTI)Christchurch,Oct 24, 2026 12:16 ISTVaibhav Sooryavanshi returned to India's playing XI for the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday, but the young batter will have to wait for his chance to open the innings after being slotted in at number three.Sooryavanshi came into the side in place of the injured Ishan Kishan, with India captain Shreyas Iyer confirming his batting position at the toss. India won the toss and opted to field, with Iyer citing dew as one of the reasons behind the decision.NZ vs IND 2nd T20I: Updates | ScorecardIndia retained their opening combination despite Sooryavanshi's return, while Prince was brought in for Mayank in a tactical change. Iyer said the team had recovered well after the opening game and wanted to maintain its aggression while improving its fielding, particularly in the final over.New Zealand made one change, with Jacob Duffy replacing Adam Milne as captain Mitchell Santner rotated his seamers with a busy Test schedule coming up. Sooryavanshi's return adds an intriguing subplot to the contest, with the young batter set to feature in a new role rather than at the top of the order.India's Playing XI: Sanju Samson(WK), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer(C), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince YadavNew Zealand Playing XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(WK), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(C), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson(more to follow)- Ends