India Playing XI vs New Zealand- 1st ODI, New Zealand Tour of India 2026

India will face New Zealand in the first of the three-match ODI series. This article provides details about India’s Playing 11 vs New Zealand for the first match of the series.

India Playing XI vs New Zealand- 1st ODI, New Zealand Tour of India 2026:

Openers: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma

India would hope for their players to get going in their respective disciplines in order to register a win in the first ODI against New Zealand and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The home team has been boosted by the return of ODI captain Shubman Gill and vice captain Shreyas Iyer, whose participation in this particular match is subject to fitness.

Other than the inclusion of the above-mentioned names, the selectors have stuck to the core that took part in the last ODI assignment against South Africa, with Mohammed Siraj included in the squad as well.

The team management would hope for the batters to have a good outing by creating pressure on the experienced bowling lineup that New Zealand has named for this particular series.

The onus will be on the opening pair of captain Shubman Gill and former captain Rohit Sharma to get the team off to a good start, along with getting runs under their belt as individual batters.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy

The openers will be followed by a strong middle order, which comprises of experienced batters like Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul.

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli would wish to continue the form that he showed in all three matches against South Africa and replicate the same performance in the three ODIs against New Zealand as well.

Kohli would look for support from Shreyas Iyer, who would like to get back into rhythm as far as international cricket is concerned, and KL Rahul, who has made a reputation for being relied upon by the team in the final fifteen overs of the innings.

If the top five batters in India’s batting lineup succeed in delivering a solid performance, he team will be able to fancy its chances of crossing the 300 run mark while batting first or chase whatever target is set by the opposition.

Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

If we talk about the makeup of India’s bowling attack for the upcoming game, it is expected to include three fast bowlers, two spinners, and one fast bowling all-rounder.

If the composition remains so, the fast bowling department of the Men in Blue will be handled by Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and senior pacer Mohammed Siraj.

The trio will be assisted by Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been included in the squad in place of Hardik Pandya, who has been given a rest and will return for the T20I leg of the tour, followed by the T20 World Cup.

Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will take care of India’s spin bowling attack and would hope to get dry conditions to have an impact.