The T20I series between India and New Zealand is over, and now both teams are preparing for a five-match ODI series. The first ODI will be played at Auckland’s Eden Park on Wednesday. This series is important as it serves as preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
India won the T20I series 3-2, with Shreyas Iyer leading the team. The Indian squad includes experienced players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who now focus only on ODIs after retiring from Tests and T20Is. Shubman Gill will captain India for the first three ODIs, while Iyer will take over for the last two to allow regular captains time to prepare for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.
New Zealand has injury issues: Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman are out, and Devon Conway will miss the first ODI after an injury during training. Their pacers Zak Foulkes and Will O’Rourke are also injured.
India and New Zealand have played 123 ODIs so far, with India winning 63 and New Zealand 52 matches. There has been one tie and seven no-results in their past encounters.
Weather in Auckland on match day is expected to be partly cloudy in the morning, with rain possible until 11 AM. However, by 3 PM (the scheduled start time), skies should clear, allowing for a full game. Temperatures will be around 19-20°C during play.
Fans in India can watch the match on Sony Sports Network TV channels and via the Sony LIV app. Commentary options include English, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada.
Probable XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy.