NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharmas strong form will mark India’s ODI campaign when the hosts take on a full-strength New Zealand side in the opening game of the three-ODI series on Sunday.Even though the T20 World Cup is less than a month away, the spotlight will continue to be on Kohli and Rohit over the next week, who continue to underline their continued relevance in the 50-over format. Both batters have plenty of match experience, having played in a few Vijay Hazare Trophy league games and completed several runs to show that their appetite and skills are intact.
A subplot to watch closely will be how India becomes captain Shubman Gill responds after being left out of the T20 World Cup squad. Gill’s omission followed a run of indifferent form, compounded by injuries that limited his participation in the South Africa series late last year. However, his return to the ODI XI could push Yashasvi Jaiswal out of the top order despite the left-hander scoring his maiden ODI century in the last game against South Africa.Shreyas Iyer’s comeback should bring stability to the middle order after a lengthy period of experimentation. The 31-year-old will likely return straight to his usual No. 4 position. KL Rahul’s continued role as a lower-order batsman and wicketkeeper means Rishabh Pant remains the second-choice option in this format.While Iyer, Pant and Mohammed Siraj were not in training till Saturday, Ravindra Jadeja completed a full training session on Friday, signaling his readiness. With Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya rested to handle their workload ahead of the T20 season, India’s pace attack will be handled by Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna. Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Jadeja will handle spin duties on surfaces where dew and flat pitches often emphasize control rather than outright aggression.The series opener also marks a milestone for the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Kotambi, which will host its first men’s international match after previously hosting a women’s ODI series between India and the West Indies.For New Zealand, the series is a chance to meet new faces, with last year’s Champions Trophy final defeat to India largely irrelevant in the current context. Despite missing several frontline players, the Black Caps are expected to lean on the mindset that brought them their impressive 3-0 Test series win in India in the 2024-25 season.Mitchell Santner is out with a groin injury, Tom Latham has returned home for the birth of his first child and Kane Williamson is in action for the SA20. Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy have been rested while Matt Henry will be rested again with an eye on the T20Is. Michael Bracewell will lead the side, with attention also focused on Kyle Jamieson and young star player Adithya Ashok, although the batting line-up still has depth in Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will Young and Glenn Phillips.Teams (from):India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (week), Rishabh Pant (week), 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.
