New Zealand National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match: India’s senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will step away from international cricket for several months following the conclusion of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand National Cricket Team on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
India will next play a five-match T20 international series against New Zealand from Jan. 21. However, Kohli and Rohit, who retired from T20 internationals in 2024, will not be part of that assignment. Following that series, India’s focus will shift to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, to be held from Feb. 7 to March 8. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the defending champions will aim to retain their title, again without Kohli and Rohit.
From March to May, Indian players will turn their attention to the Indian Premier League. The 2026 edition is expected to begin in the last week of March and conclude in late May, although exact dates are yet to be announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Kohli and Rohit will represent Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, respectively.
India have no international assignments scheduled in June. The team’s next international outing will come in July, when it tours England for a white-ball series. The tour will begin with a five-match T20I series starting July 1, followed by a three-match ODI series from July 14 to 19. Kohli and Rohit are expected to be part of the ODI squad if fit and available. If selected, the England ODIs would mark their return to international cricket after a gap of more than five months following the New Zealand series.
According to the ICC Future Tours Program, India are also scheduled to play one Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan in June 2026, but there is no official confirmation about the series yet. India will also host Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series in December 2026.
During the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand, Kohli scored 240 runs, including a 124-run innings in the final match, while Rohit managed scores of 26, 24, and 11.