India Tour of New Zealand: India vs New Zealand First ODI in Auckland on November 4, 2026
India returned Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul to the XI as Shubman Gill chose to chase after a 20-minute toss delay.
- On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, India captain Shubman Gill won the toss at Auckland's Eden Park and elected to bowl first in the opening ODI against New Zealand, after a 20-minute rain delay.
- Superstars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and K.L. Rahul rejoined Gill for the series after missing the recent T20 games, with Kohli set to celebrate his 38th birthday on Thursday.
- India's bowling attack features four specialists with a combined 29 games of experience, including Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, and Arshdeep Singh, while Mohammed Siraj was omitted to manage his workload.
- The Black Caps enter the series facing injury setbacks, with Rachin Ravindra sidelined by a shoulder issue and Devon Conway unavailable following a training concussion.
- Preparation for the 2027 World Cup remains a priority, with Captain Gill calling the series "extremely important" and noting the similarity between New Zealand conditions and those in South Africa.
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IND vs NZ Playing 11: Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl in the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Auckland. The Indian team fielded four fast bowlers. Axar Patel and Naman Dheer also found a place in the playing 11. Devon Conway is not playing in the New Zealand team, and Tim Seifert has been named in his place.
Shubman Gill opts to bowl, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav miss out as India go with four pacers against New Zealand
India's decision to field first in the ODI against New Zealand was made after winning the toss. Captain Shubman Gill explained that they opted for a pace-heavy attack to exploit the conditions. New Zealand made changes to their lineup, with Tim Seifert replacing Devon Conway due to a head injury. The toss was delayed, and the match's live action commenced shortly afterward.
Why is Mohammed Siraj not playing India's first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland?
With the Indian team taking on New Zealand in the first ODI of the ongoing series between the two sides, let us have a look at why star pacer Mohammed Siraj is not featuring for the Men in Blue as the two sides meet in Auckland for the clash.
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