Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are once again set to take centre stage as India gear up to take on New Zealand on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series. The opening match of the series will be played at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. This is the first-ever men’s ODI at the ground. Undoubtedly, much of the spotlight will be on Kohli and Rohit, both of whom arrive in excellent batting form. The duo recently sharpened their skills in domestic cricket, turning out in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where they performed brilliantly.

India and New Zealand have not faced each other in the format since the Champions Trophy final in March 2025. Meanwhile, India’s most recent ODI assignment came back in December, when they hosted South Africa in a three-match series. India managed to edge the series 2-1. Now with limited ODI cricket, the New Zealand series represents an important opportunity for India to build continuity.

New Zealand are also high on confidence, having swept West Indies 3-0 in their last ODI series in November last year. That clean sweep will serve as a confidence booster for New Zealand against India.

India will welcome back Shubman Gill, who returns to the ODI fold after missing the South Africa series due to a neck spasm. Gill will lead the side, taking over the captaincy duties from KL Rahul, who led India against South Africa in Gill's absence. Shreyas Iyer, named as Gill’s deputy, also brings relief to the Indian camp. His availability had been uncertain pending fitness clearance, but he is now set to feature in the series.

Head-to-Head record in ODIs

Matches - 120

India won - 62

New Zealand won - 50

No result - 7

Tied - 1

India likely XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand likely XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (c), Zak Foulkes, Josh Clarkson, Jayden Lennox, Kyle Jamieson, Aditya Ashok