India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl in the rain-affected first ODI against New Zealand, which is taking place at Eden Park, Auckland. The toss has been delayed for 20 minutes due to a passing shower at the venue. India's veteran batting duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have already retired from Tests and T20Is, will be seen featuring on New Zealand soil for the last time. Notably, India are featuring four fast bowlers, including Arshdeep Singh and Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar. Kuldeep Yadav will have to wait more as the side included Axar Patel and Naman Dhir in the playing XI for the spin option
India vs New Zealand ODI Head-to-Head
India and New Zealand have faced each other 123 times in ODI cricket so far. India have the upper hand in the overall record, with 63 wins compared to New Zealand’s 52.
One match between the two sides ended in a tie at Eden Park in 2014, while seven other games ended without result.
Captains at toss
Mitchell Santner (South Africa captain): Conway is doing well. He is going to rest up and obviously not going to play today. So Seifert gets a chance and like India, we also have four pacers.
Shubman Gill (India Captain): We are going to bowl first, bit overcast so any reductions, it's good to have a target on the board. Everyone is excited and prepared for the series. Conditions we get here are going to be a lot similar to the ones we are going to get in SA. Anshul, Aaqib, Gurnoor and Arshdeep are the pacers.
India vs New Zealand playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner