Guwahati: India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat against New Zealand in the opening ODI of the three-match series on Wednesday at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
After defeating Sri Lanka in the just finished series, the team lead by Rohit Sharma would be very confident. The absence of Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult for the opening game of the series will be difficult for New Zealand.
Three T20Is and three ODIs will be played as part of the New Zealand home series. India will start the series on January 18 with the 50-over games. Beginning on January 27 and concluding on February 1, the T20 series.
Speaking at the time of toss, India captain Rohit Sharma said, “We will bat first. Looks a good pitch, little dry. We want to make sure we want to bowl under lights and defend score. We did well against Sri Lanka, but this is a different challenge. Important for us to keep the momentum going. The spirit in the team is really good. Three changes. Hardik is back, Shardul is back. SKY and Ishan are playing as well.”
Speaking at the time of toss, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said, “Most of the squad has pretty much played a good number of games. Three seamers and two spinners today.”
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Henry Shipley, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner.