India’s New Zealand challenge must not be too difficult. Playing the first of a three-match ODI series in Vadodara on Sunday, January 11, the Indians know that this will be preparation ahead of the ODI World Cup next year. Led by Shubman Gill, they have some stalwarts in their side, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer has also been recalled to the team, and he will have to prove his mettle.
New Zealand, quite surprisingly, have announced a young squad with hardly any players who have plied their trade earlier in India. Only Daryl Mitchell, Will Young, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips have played in these conditions before. They will be expected to guide their more inexperienced teammates. Captain Michael Bracewell will be at the helm while making strategic choices. Yet, he will have to strike the right balance between choosing spin and pace options. In India, the pitches support spin more than they do pace.
India have a lot of players who are known for their prowess in playing spin such as Iyer and Kohli, and this will come in handy against the Kiwis. The home team are known for their domineering style of play, as they showed in the last ODI World Cup, held in this country in 2023. Kohli and Sharma will be looking to make their final bow before that tournament. This series will serve as good training for them, and the fans who have supported them through thick and thin over the years will look forward to it.
Key Players
IND: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
NZ: Henry Nicholls, Devon Conway (wk), Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (c), Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox, Josh Clarkson, Kyle Jamieson, Michael Rae.
Key Players
Rohit Sharma (IND): Ex-India captain Rohit Sharma is among the most exciting opening batters in the world. Sharma is known for being extremely good against short deliveries and can pull or hook most balls over the deep square leg fence. The Mumbai batter can also use his wrists well to direct the ball into gaps. And that is what makes him such a difficult player to keep quiet, especially in the powerplay.
Devon Conway (NZ): Opener-wicketkeeper Devon Conway is quite experienced in Indian conditions. He will have most of the responsibility of taking his team towards a big total. The southpaw is an elegant player who likes to drive the ball on the rise. Hence, is a dangerous opponent in white-ball cricket. Behind the stumps, Conway is quite reliable and clings to most opportunities coming his way.
Match Prediction
India have an advantage over New Zealand, and we expect them to win. When it comes to names on paper, India are far superior to their opponents, who do not have any top players save the likes of Conway and company in their ranks. In the bowling department, India appear to be slightly inexperienced. However, Mohammed Siraj will be expected to lead from the front. For New Zealand, the greatest challenge will be to prevent India from putting up a big total on the board if they bat first.
