3 Indian players who impressed the most in NZ-A vs IND-A series

India A concluded their three-match unofficial Test tour of New Zealand in 2026-27 with the series finishing 0-0, all three four-day matches ending in draws. With no team able to force a result, individual performances across the three games became the clearest measure of who contributed most.

Despite the lack of a definitive end to the series, several players stepped up at vital moments for the team, pushing a solid case for Test inclusion in the future, and putting up performances in tough conditions.

Here are three Indian players who impressed the most in NZ-A vs IND-A series:

1. Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal finished as the series' highest run-scorer, accumulating 326 runs across five innings at an average of 65.20, which included one century and one fifty. His most commanding effort came in the second innings of the 1st unofficial Test at Lincoln's Bert Sutcliffe Oval, where he struck 199 from 248 balls, hitting 24 fours and 3 sixes. India A had been bowled out for 113 in their first innings of that match, but Padikkal's 199 powered the side to 516 in the second innings.

In the 2nd unofficial Test at Christchurch, Padikkal added 80 from 140 balls in the first innings before falling for a duck off just one ball in the second. He also chipped in with the ball on the final day of the 1st unofficial Test, returning figures of 2/11 from 5 overs. His run with the bat adds further weight to his case for continuing at one-drop for the senior side in Test cricket.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal accumulated 279 runs in five innings at an average of 69.75, with two centuries across the series. At Christchurch in the 2nd unofficial Test, he struck 155 not out from 162 balls, hitting 15 fours and 5 sixes. By the time Jaiswal took charge, both Sudharsan and Padikkal had departed cheaply, with the side at 35/2. He then shared an unbroken 247-run partnership with Yash Rathod, who finished on 100 not out, to rescue the innings and secure a draw.

In the 3rd unofficial Test at Lincoln, Jaiswal scored 102 from 138 balls while opening the batting, putting on a 175-run first-wicket stand alongside Sai Sudharsan. Across the series, Jaiswal hit the most sixes among all players, seven in total.

3. Auqib Nabi

Auqib Nabi was the pick of India A's bowlers in the series, with his most telling contribution coming in the 1st unofficial Test at Lincoln. He claimed 3/69 from 18 overs in the first innings and followed that with 3/28 from 10 overs in the second, giving him six wickets for the match at an economy rate of 3.46. His second-innings burst on the final day reduced New Zealand A to 187/9 while chasing a target of 313, but bad light intervened before India A could take the last wicket and the match ended in a draw.

Nabi also contributed with the bat in that second innings, scoring 38 from 63 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes. Nabi's part in the series was cut short because of his inclusion in India's ODI side, where he picked up his first international wicket in the second match in Hamilton.