The spotlight will firmly be on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as a full-strength India take on a revamped New Zealand side in the opening ODI of the three-match series at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Kotambi on Sunday.
With the T20 World Cup less than a month away, the ODI series may not be the immediate priority, but Kohli and Rohit are expected to play a decisive role in driving India’s campaign over the next seven days. Both veterans come into the series in prime form, having enjoyed valuable game time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where they piled up runs to underline their continued relevance in the 50-over format.
India captain Shubman Gill, however, will be under pressure to respond after being omitted from the T20 World Cup squad. Concerns over his form, coupled with injuries that sidelined him for much of the South Africa series late last year, have put the focus on his performances. Gill’s return to the XI is likely to push Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the top order, despite the latter scoring his maiden ODI century in the final match against South Africa.
The comeback of Shreyas Iyer is set to bring stability to India’s batting order, with the 31-year-old expected to reclaim his preferred No. 4 position after a series of experiments. KL Rahul is likely to continue as the wicketkeeper-batter in the lower middle order, keeping Rishabh Pant as the second-choice option in the ODI format.
While Iyer, Pant and Mohammed Siraj missed the early preparation sessions in Kotambi, Ravindra Jadeja trained at full intensity on Friday, indicating his availability for the series. India will be without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, both rested to manage workload ahead of the T20 World Cup. The pace attack will therefore be led by Siraj, with support from Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The spin department will be handled by Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Jadeja. Given the flat nature of Indian wickets and the likelihood of evening dew, spinners may be asked to focus more on containment than aggressive wicket-taking.
Sunday’s match will mark the first men’s international fixture at the new Kotambi stadium, which has previously hosted a women’s ODI series between India and the West Indies.
For New Zealand, the series offers a valuable opportunity to test fresh and second-line players. Their loss to India in last year’s Champions Trophy final holds little relevance, as the Black Caps look ahead with a squad missing several frontline names. Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the ODIs due to a groin injury, Tom Latham has returned home for the birth of his first child, and former captain Kane Williamson is in South Africa fulfilling SA20 commitments.
Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy have been rested, while Matt Henry is being managed carefully following a calf injury, with an eye on the T20Is. In Santner’s absence, Michael Bracewell will lead the side, with the all-rounder set to hand over the captaincy once Santner returns for the T20 leg.
Despite the absentees, New Zealand retain considerable batting depth with the likes of Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will Young and Glenn Phillips. The series will also be a test for emerging players such as Kyle Jamieson and 23-year-old leg-spinner Adithya Ashok, while Jayden Lennox has been drafted in as a like-for-like replacement for Santner.
With contrasting objectives and a blend of experience and youth on both sides, the opening ODI promises to set the tone for an intriguing series.
Teams (from):
India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana.
New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (c), Devon Conway (wk), Mitchell Hay (wk), Nick Kelly, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox, Michael Rae.
