India Opt to Bowl Against New Zealand in First ODI; Kohli, Rohit Return

India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl against New Zealand in the first ODI at Eden Park on Wednesday, marking the start of a five-match series.

The series marks India’s first five-match ODI assignment since March 2019, with veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to the side as preparations for the next ODI World Cup gather pace. Gill said overcast conditions influenced his decision to bowl first.

India have included four specialist fast bowlers, with Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh making up the pace attack. Axar Patel and Naman Dhir will provide all-round options. New Zealand have also been hit by injuries, with opener Devon Conway ruled out after a training-ground collision with Matt Henry.

Tim Seifert replaces him in the playing XI. Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra are also unavailable. Mitchell Santner leads the hosts, while Glenn Phillips returns after an impressive T20I series.

India are without Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and injured Prasidh Krishna. Both teams will look to secure an early advantage in the opening encounter.

Playing XIs:

India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand – Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner