Now that the T20I series has concluded, the action moves on to the longer format of the game: the 50-over series. Five One Day Internationals (ODIs) will be played between New Zealand and India. The first game is scheduled on Wednesday, November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland. India were runaway winners of the T20I series by a 3-2 scoreline. However, the home team will be expected to come hard at them in the 50-over format. India are decidedly stronger in this format because of the former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma participation, who are preparing to be a part of the team for the 2027 ODI World Cup. With captain Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer in the mix, the Men in Blue have a heady squad in their batting unit.
The Kiwis, meanwhile, will rely on the likes of Devon Conway, Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips to deliver with the bat. Will Young, too, will be a nimble addition at the top of the order. All these players are remarkably experienced in international cricket for several years. Latham and Conway, for instance, will be backed to counter the seam and swing generated by the Indian seamers, and build strong partnerships for the rest of the Kiwi batters to capitalise on. The return of Rachin Ravindra adds a lot of depth to their batting unit, as does the evergreen presence of Daryl Mitchell. Captain Mitchell Santner will lead the Kiwi bowling attack alongside seamers Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy.
Predicted Teams
NZ: Devon Conway (wk), Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy.
IND: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.
Key Players
Devon Conway (NZ): Opener Devon Conway is among the best top-order batters in the world. He has played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and thus knows his opponents fairly well. Conway likes to drive the ball on the rise, and can be susceptible when it is moving around in the first powerplay. If he curbs this enthusiasm in the early stages of the match and puts his head down, Conway can bat for long periods of time and trouble the Indians with his regular strike rotation. The southpaw can also hit the ball a long way after he gets set. Against spinners, Conway likes to use his feet and get to the pitch of the ball before driving or lofting it.
Virat Kohli (IND): Former India captain Virat Kohli was once rated as the best batter across all formats of the game. While he has called it quits from Tests and T20Is, he continues to ply his trade in ODIs with an eye on the 2027 World Cup. Kohli is one of the most mature one-day batters in the world, and is known to be a master at chasing big targets. Usually batting at number three, Kohli is known to be resolute in his defence and immensely positive while attacking. His free-flowing strokes make him one of the most elegant players to watch when he is in full flow. His aim will be to bat deep and help the Indians either set up or chase a big total.
Match Prediction
New Zealand have quickly turned the tide in their favour and seem to have a lot of momentum following the T20I series under their belt. They will be expected to win this game and set the tone for the rest of the series. The Kiwis are balanced in both batting and bowling, while the Indians appear lopsided due to their batting-heavy squad. The bowlers in the Indian side are quite inexperienced, with only Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav lending them some credibility.
New Zealand vs India – Fifth T20I Overview and Analysis (01.11.2026)
New Zealand beat India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20I between the teams at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1. Opting to bowl first, New Zealand were unable to curb India’s free flow of runs in the powerplay, and conceded 50 in the first six overs. Nonetheless, it was a decent performance given that of late, the Indians had made it a habit of scoring more than 70 in the powerplay.
Openers Sanju Samson (4) and Abhishek Sharma (1) failed to get going, meaning that the responsibility for scoring fell on wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer. The former responded with a 32-ball 61 that consisted of five boundaries and as many sixes. Captain Iyer, meanwhile, scored an even 50 off just 23 deliveries with three boundaries and four sixes. A lower-order flourish by Naman Dhir (33) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (22) helped the Indians amass 191-8 in 20 overs.
Adam Milne was the most successful bowler for the Kiwis, returning with four wickets. At the same time, Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner picked up a couple of wickets apiece. Walking out to bat, New Zealand lost opener Finn Allen in the second over, caught behind off Arshdeep Singh for just two. His fellow opener Tim Seifert, however, kept going and dominated the run-chase for the home team. At first, he built a 73-run partnership for the second wicket with Daryl Mitchell (29) before adding 86 runs with Glenn Phillips.
Seifert eventually got out for 93, seven runs short of a well-deserved ton. His innings lasted just 50 balls and included 11 boundaries and five sixes. Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 (38 balls, eight boundaries and three sixes) and, along with Bevon Jacobs (one not out), saw his team romp home with seven wickets in hand with two overs still to go. With this victory, New Zealand ended the five-game series 3-2, with India having already won it by virtue of their victories in the first three matches.
