The ODI series will be followed by five T20Is before the T20 World Cup 2026.
New Zealand are currently touring India for three ODIs, followed by five 20-over fixtures, ahead of the much-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. But two of their star players, white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner and former captain Kane Williamson, are not in New Zealand’s 50-over squad to take on the hosts.
In the first IND vs NZ ODI in Vadodara, Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to field first.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and 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, and Adithya Ashok.
Multiple new faces have made it to the side, including Jayden Lennox, Kristian Clarke, Adithya Ashok, Josh Clarkson, and Michael Rae. However, the limited-overs skipper Santner is yet to recover from the groin injury that he suffered during The Hundred 2025. The wicketkeeper-batter Michael Bracewell is leading the side in his absence.
Notably, Santner is close to regaining his match fitness and is expected to return to action in the subsequent T20I encounters. On the other hand, ex-New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is another prominent figure to miss the series against India. The batter, who has already called it a day in the T20 Internationals, is not available for the 50-over matches due to his SA20 commitments for the Durban’s Super Giants.
The 35-year-old’s casual contract with the New Zealand Cricket Board allows him to explore various T20 leagues around the world, instead of appearing in all the fixtures for the Kiwis. He is currently playing for the Durban’s Super Giants in South Africa’s premier 20-over tournament.
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New Zealand will be playing three of their T20 World Cup 2026 league-stage matches in Chennai and one in Ahmedabad. The eight-match limited-over series would operate as a great opportunity for the visitors to prepare for the forthcoming ICC event, starting on February 7.
But besides adapting to the conditions with a bigger goal in sight, the team would also want to register one of their maiden feats in the upcoming series. Interestingly, they are yet to defeat the hosts in their own backyard in ODIs. Though Bracewell and Co. have recently clean swept England and the West Indies at home, it seems unlikely to claim the rare series victory, considering the Men in Blue’s continued domination in the format.
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