Cricket Titans Clash: IND vs NZ 1st ODI Amidst T20 Glory

On Sunday, cricket enthusiasts will witness a high-stakes showdown between the top two teams in the ICC ODI rankings, reminiscent of the Champions Trophy final. Historically, an India vs. New Zealand ODI series would have been one of the most eagerly awaited events on the international cricket calendar. However, in today’s T20-centric cricket world, such series often struggle to maintain their significance. As the anticipation for the Men’s T20 World Cup builds, bilateral ODI series are often viewed similarly to domestic performances in terms of influencing Test team selections worldwide. Nonetheless, there’s more to the upcoming India-New Zealand series than just the Ro-Ko excitement.

Both the team captain and vice-captain are making comebacks following injury-related breaks. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have something to prove, especially after missing out on the T20 World Cup roster. Gill, who was the vice-captain before the final selection, narrowly missed out, while Shreyas has been labeled primarily as an ODI specialist recently.

On Saturday afternoon, six other batters joined Gill and Shreyas for an extensive practice session at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium. Gill’s neck spasm during the South Africa series kept him out of action, while Shreyas is ready to return after an abdominal injury suffered last October in Australia. Both aim to leave a mark as men’s international cricket returns to Vadodara after 15 years.

Mohammed Siraj, eager to regain his form, took part in the session after being rested for the South Africa series. Rohit Sharma had a brief batting stint, while Virat Kohli and the bowlers took it easy.

Unfortunately, Rishabh Pant is unavailable for the match after suffering an abdominal blow during net practice. The severity of his bruising means he is likely to sit out the entire series.

While India aims to preserve its strong home record, New Zealand will focus on its younger players. As Mitchell Santner prepares to join the team for the upcoming T20I series, all-rounder Michael Bracewell is set to lead the youthful squad.

Veteran players like Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, and Kyle Jamieson will need to guide the less experienced team members as they compete against a formidable ODI side on its own soil. Notably, pacer Kristian Clarke is poised for his international debut on Sunday.

THE SQUADS

India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer (vc), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (c), Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young.

The match kicks off at 1:30 p.m. IST.

Published on January 10, 2026.