NEW DELHI: India won the toss and chose to bowl first against New Zealand in the opening ODI of the three-match series at the Kotambi International Stadium (BCA) here.The hosts were dealt a significant setback ahead of the series opener, with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant ruled out of the entire series due to a right-side strain injury. Dhruv Jurel has been named as his replacement.
The spotlight will firmly be on stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom are in fine form in the 50-over format across international and domestic cricket. Kohli, in particular, is also chasing multiple milestones and will be keen to make a big impact with the bat.Explaining the decision to bowl first after winning the toss, India captain Shubman Gill said: “Try different kinds of combinations, you know, see what combination suits us the best for different conditions, obviously when we play in India. Whenever you’re bowling second, there’s a bit of a challenge with the dew, and so try out what kind of combination suits our condition the best. It looks like a good wicket.“Hopefully, I think it’ll be a little bit easier to bat on in the second innings with the new coming in, and that was the thought process behind bowling first. I think playing a bit of Vijay Hazare series, everyone is coming after playing some matches, so everyone looks in good form. We’ve played a lot of cricket together, so you know, the environment is always nice and calm whenever we get together.”On the team combination, Gill took a big call. He said India have opted for six bowling options, with Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav handling spin duties, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana form the pace attack.Meanwhile, New Zealand have fielded a relatively inexperienced side and will be keen to put up a strong challenge against the Men in Blue.Stand-in skipper Michael Bracewell, who is leading the Black Caps in Mitchell Santner’s absence, said they too would have preferred to bowl first but were content with batting. “We have been used to the weather and have some great net sessions. It’s a big series for us, a proud moment every time we play for New Zealand. We’re playing a WC in India and it’s a big advantage for us. New faces, but some experience as well. Might play a bit lower – Kristian Clarke makes his debut today, and Aditya Ashok is our main spinner,” he said.Playing XIsIndia: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaNew Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok
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