CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl in the first T20 cricket international against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Thursday.
The India squad only arrived in New Zealand two days ago and has had little time to acclimatize before the first match in a long tour involving five T20s, five one-day internationals and two test matches.
“We have no complaints,” Iyer said. “We're a band of professionals and everyone knows that in the dressing room.”
India has made two changes to the team which faced the West Indies in the last of five T20 internationals a week ago. India won the first and third T20s of that series by eight wickets and 14 runs, but each time West Indies bounced back.
Mayank Yadav comes in for Prince Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy replaces Shivam Dube.
New Zealand has chosen four seamers — Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson — and three spinners — Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh are likely to share the new ball for India.
The teams last met in the T20 World Cup final in India, which India won by 96 runs.
Lineups:
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Mitchell Santner, left, of the Black Caps and Shreyas Iyer of India lead their teams onto the field for the T20 cricket international between India and New Zealand in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (John Davidson/Photosport via AP)
Iran's state television reported that seven oil tankers were either struck by attacks or hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Thursday, possibly making this the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the Iran war started on Feb. 28.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East. Read our full coverage here.
Iran’s state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight Thursday after being targeted or striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
If verified, it would be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran.
Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard's navy, the Iranian report said that four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Another three were damaged and immobilized when they hit naval mines.
The report didn't provide details about possible casualties or the flags of the tankers.
The report also warned the Revolutionary Guard may target U.S. bases in the region if the U.S. tried to allow oil tankers to transit through other parts of the strait.
The Revolutionary Guard had routinely targeted U.S. bases in Gulf countries during the war.
Yemen’s Defense Ministry said Thursday Houthi rallies and mobilization programs will be considered legitimate military targets and warned residents in Houthi-held areas against taking part.
The announcement was shared in a social media post and is considered a major escalation against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as well as civilians living in areas under their control.
Deliberate attacks on civilians could amount to a war crime.
Rallies and what Houthis call “cultural courses” are one of the Iranian-backed group’s main tools for mobilization of supporters and fighters.
The Defense Ministry statement said such assemblies are used by the Houthis to mobilize children for combat.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
A displaced Yemeni girl walks at Al-Firdaws 2 camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Yemen, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Residents walk on their home debris at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marzouq Al Jabri)
Residents walk amid debris from their homes after a missile strike in Seina, Taiz, Yemen, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marzouq Al Jabri)
