India vs New Zealand ODI Series: Shubman Gill Opts to Bowl First Amid Rishabh Pant's Injury

India's Captain Shubman Gill Calls for Bowling First

In the opening match of the three-match ODI series on Sunday at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, Team India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl first against New Zealand, led by Michael Bracewell.

Unfortunately, just before the series began, India faced a significant setback as star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was ruled out due to a side strain (oblique muscle tear).

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that Pant sustained his injury while batting during a practice session at the BCA Stadium on Saturday.

Dhruv Jurel has been brought in as Pant's replacement for the series against New Zealand. However, he did not make it to the playing XI for the first ODI, as KL Rahul has taken over the wicketkeeping responsibilities.

This ODI series will feature prominent players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom are now focused solely on ODIs.

Virat Kohli recently earned the 'Player of the Series' title against South Africa in December, scoring 302 runs in three matches with an impressive average of 151.00, including two centuries and a fifty.

Following that, he participated in two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Delhi, marking his return to the tournament after 15 years, where he scored 131 runs against Andhra Pradesh and 77 against Gujarat, showcasing his classic strokeplay.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma, currently the number one-ranked ODI batter, scored 146 runs during the series against South Africa, maintaining his top position. He also made a comeback in the VHT, scoring 155 against Sikkim but unfortunately recorded a golden duck against Uttarakhand.

Both Virat and Rohit aim to maintain their excellent form in the upcoming series against New Zealand as they prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup next year.

Teams

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok