New Delhi: In the second ODI of New Zealand’s tour of India 2026, India (IND) will take on New Zealand (NZ) after making a strong start to the series as they registered a four-wicket victory in 1st ODI. Virat Kohli starred with a superb 93, while Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer also made valuable contributions. With the ball, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna were effective, picking up two wickets each.
New Zealand, meanwhile, showed promise with the bat in the first ODI. Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, and Daryl Mitchell smashed half-centuries to guide the visitors to a competitive total of 300. However, their bowling fell short of expectations. Kyle Jamieson was the standout with four wickets, but the rest of the attack struggled to make an impact.
Washington picked up an injury
Ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand, India suffered an early setback with Rishabh Pant being ruled out due to injury. During the first ODI on Sunday, January 11, Washington Sundar also picked up an injury, sidelining him for the remainder of the series.
The selectors have named Delhi’s Ayush Badoni as his replacement, but with head coach Gautam Gambhir favouring all-rounders, India could opt for either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Badoni likely to feature in the playing XI.
Amid all these concerns, the spotlight will be firmly be on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both in the latter stages of their careers. In the opening match, Kohli narrowly missed his 54th ODI century, but his 93 off 91 balls played a crucial role in setting up India’s win.
In the opening match, skipper Shubman Gill played a composed half-century, while vice-captain Shreyas Iyer fell just one run short of his fifty. Rohit Sharma will again aim to provide India with a solid start at the top.
India will look to sharpen their spin department
However, India will need to sharpen their bowling, especially the spin department. In the previous game, the pacers picked up wickets by cleverly mixing their pace, and the spinners will be hoping for more assistance from the surface at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.
Despite losing the first ODI, New Zealand would take confidence from pushing India close even in the face of Virat Kohli’s fine innings. With India cruising towards the target, Kyle Jamieson’s impressive spell brought the contest back to life.
Left-handers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls provided New Zealand with a strong start, putting on 117 runs for the opening stand, but the middle order failed to build on that platform. The visitors will be keen to address this area moving forward.
India’s Predicted Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreays Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy/Ayush Badoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, KL Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
New Zealand Predicted Playing XI: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, WA Young, DJ Mitchell, Mitchell Hay (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (C), JA Clarkson, KA Jamieson, Zak Foulkes, Adithya Ashok