The opening match India vs New Zealand 1st ODI will officially launch the three match series in Vadodara, and among the discussions about India’s squad and playing XI, the most important one was the pain point created by the wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant’s injury. India’s seasoned players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill were the prominent ones in predicted XI, with Gill heading the crew as captain after getting back from a short injury break.
India vs New Zealand ODI Series: Rishabh Pant’s Injury
Plans for 2026 are clearly the focus of the top order batsmen, who are expected to deliver a strong and fast start against the New Zealand bowlers, who are quite good, in terms of both, stability and momentum. Pant’s injuries have made it difficult to predict the final XI with KL Rahul perfectly positioned to handle the wicketkeeping tasks in the case of Pant’s absence. The injury to Pant that also raised doubts regarding his participation in the series was a result of a mishap while in training where he was hit by the ball and later, discomfort made him the one ruled out for the ODI series. This has led the management to re-evaluate their game plan as the backing of Rahul at the wickets gives India options in batting order and strategic depth. Simultaneously, vice captain Shreyas Iyer is back from injury and will occupy the middle order spot, thus, possibly changing the whole dynamics of India’s batting. Gill and Rohit both, having recently played domestic matches, are expected to contribute a major part of the runs in the early part of the innings.
IND vs NZ 1st ODI: India’s Predicted Playing XI
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
IND vs NZ 1st ODI: India’s Bowling Force
In the bowling department experienced pacers like Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh are likely to lead India’s attack with all round options like Ravindra Jadeja and spin from Kuldeep Yadav. The lack of other senior players like Jasprit Bumrah due to workload management creates a bigger window for younger players to show their ability and for different options.
Also Read: IND vs NZ 1st ODI: Could Rain Disrupt The Series Opener? Check Vadodara Weather Report
