India will face off against New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. The venue will host a men’s international fixture for the first time on Sunday, January 11.
The Men in Blue have been in stellar form in the 50-over format over the last few years. They aren’t at full strength, with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya missing out, but are the clear favorites to triumph against an inexperienced New Zealand side.
However, for that to happen, India need to be at their best from a tactical perspective. A number of unwanted records have already been broken under Gautam Gambhir, and the hosts will need to be careful.
India squad for the New Zealand ODI series: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
New Zealand squad for the India ODI series: Michael Bracewell (c), Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway (wk), Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young.
On that note, here are three things India need to do right in the first ODI against New Zealand.
#3 India must put the inexperienced Kiwi bowlers under pressure
New Zealand are without most of their first-choice players. Jacob Duffy and Rachin Ravindra have been rested, while Tom Latham is on paternity leave. Kane Williamson has opted out of a central contract, while Matt Henry, Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke haven’t been adjudged fit for this series. Mitchell Santner is another key bowler who is injured.
Kristian Clarke is expected to feature in Vadodara, with Zak Foulkes and Kyle Jamieson partnering him in the pace department. Captain Michael Bracewell and all-rounder Glenn Phillips will be the spinners, potentially alongside leg-spinner Adi Ashok.
India need to put the Kiwi bowlers under pressure in the first ODI. Most of them haven’t tasted much international cricket, and challenging them early on will be high on the hosts’ agenda.
#2 Kuldeep Yadav must feature
India have sometimes dropped Kuldeep Yadav to accommodate an additional batter in their playing XI, but they cannot afford to do that against New Zealand. The Men in Blue need to understand the kind of value he adds through the middle overs, where wicket-taking has become notoriously difficult.
Kuldeep must play, ahead of the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. Of course, India can still play Sundar in the middle order as the third spinner, but they cannot drop the left-arm wrist-spinner at any cost. He would be one of their biggest weapons against the Black Caps’ inexperienced batting unit.
#1 India should be careful with the positions of their middle-order batters
India have experimented with Washington Sundar at No. 5, pushing KL Rahul lower down the order. Rahul’s entry point has been off the mark at times lately, with him coming in towards the end of the middle overs.
Rahul has done splendidly at No. 5, and giving him the freedom to express himself in the middle overs has worked well. He isn’t a reliable death-overs hitter, even though he has played a few important knocks in that phase in recent times.
India need to be careful with the positions of their middle-order batters and ensure that all their skillsets are maximized.
Edited by Sai Krishna