India A will tour New Zealand in October to play three four-day matches against New Zealand A. The series, which will take place from 24 October to 10 November, will act as a crucial preparation for some of the Indian players to adapt to the conditions in New Zealand.
The senior Indian men’s teams are scheduled to take on New Zealand in a five-match T20I series, as many ODIs, and a two-match Test series. The limited-overs series will begin from 22 October and run till 15 November.
Wellington will host the first Test starting from 19 November, before the teams travel to Christchurch for the second Test from 27 November.
Lincoln will host the first unofficial Test between New Zealand A and India A from 24 to 27 October, followed by the second match in Christchurch from 31 October to 3 November.
The series will conclude in Lincoln with the third match taking place from 7 to 10 November.
Unofficial Test series to clash with domestic tournaments
The unofficial Test series will also clash with domestic cricket seasons in both India and New Zealand. In India, the Ranji Trophy will get underway on 11 October, whereas the Ford Trophy (one-day tournament) will be held in New Zealand from 28 October to 12 November.
There will then be a one-week break before the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s First-Class tournament, gets underway on 19 November.
The Shubman Gill-led India are in fifth place in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) standings with 68 points and a points percentage (PCT) of 51.52. New Zealand, the inaugural WTC champions, are in third place with 52 points and a PCT of 72.22.
After the Test series against New Zealand, India will take on Australia in a five-match Test series at home in early 2027. Australia currently lead the WTC standings with 96 points and a PCT of 80.
India recently defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka. Shubman Gill and Co will need to win at least six out of their last seven Tests to get their PCT to around 65.
With the race for the WTC final set to intensify, India’s two Tests against New Zealand will be important. The India A tour could also help prepare the next group of players for the challenges of Test cricket overseas.
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