edited by: Amrit Santlani
Last Update: January 18, 2023, 1:19 pm IST
Rohit Sharma tosses coin during IND vs NZ 1st ODI (ICC Twitter)
India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI: Rohit Sharma won the toss, India will bat first; Suryakumar Yadav-Ishan Kishan included in playing XI
Team India Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18.
The ‘Hitman’ indicated that he wanted to reduce the deterrence factor and challenge his boys to a total rescue.
“We will bat first. The pitch looks good, a bit dry. We want to make sure we bowl under lights and defend the score,” said Rohit while tossing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium Told.
Days after whitewashing Sri Lanka 3-0 at home, the Men in Blue will look to maintain their impressive record at home.
Follow: IND vs NZ 2023 Live Score, 1st ODI Latest Updates: India win the toss, opt to bat in Hyderabad
“We did well against Sri Lanka but this is a different challenge. It is important for us to keep the momentum going. The spirit in the team is really good,” said Rohit.
The Men in Blue etched their name in the history books by defeating Sri Lanka by a world record margin of 317 runs in the final ODI. However, New Zealand are the top-ranked ODI team in the world, and they will be a tough nut to crack.
The Kiwis will be led by stand-in skipper Tom Latham and will be coming into the series on the back of an ODI series win over Pakistan.
India will be without the likes of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Axar Patel and Rohit made three changes to his playing XI.
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Hardik Pandya comes in, while Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have also been included in the squad.
The visitors are also without some of their key players but Latham is keen to see how those who have traveled to India fill in for the seniors.
“We are missing some key players from the Pakistan series, but this is an opportunity for other people. We love coming to India and experiencing all that the country has to offer. Most of the squad played very well,” Latham said.
India vs New Zealand Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (w/c), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner
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