India will look to double their lead in the five-match ODI series when they face New Zealand in the second match at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, November 7, with the game scheduled to start at 7:30 AM IST.
The visitors won the rain-affected series opener at Eden Park in Auckland by five wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, chasing a revised target of 143 in 32 overs after New Zealand were bowled out for 185. Virat Kohli’s 51-ball 74 and Anshul Kamboj’s 2 for 22 earned India a 1-0 lead, and the focus in Wellington will be on whether the hosts can hit back on a ground where India have not played an ODI since February 2019.
Kohli walks into the second ODI on the verge of a record. His 74 in Auckland took him to 1,971 ODI runs against New Zealand, drawing him level with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting for the most runs scored against the Black Caps in the format. Ponting needed 50 innings between 1995 and 2011 to reach the mark; Kohli has done it in 37 innings at an average of 57.97, with seven centuries. A single run in Wellington will give him the record outright.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have been forced into changes. Opener Devon Conway has been ruled out of the rest of the series after suffering a concussion in a collision with fast bowler Matt Henry during a fielding drill at Eden Park ahead of the first ODI. Conway, who had already missed the opener, will now target a return for the first Test starting in Wellington on November 19. Left-handed batter Nick Kelly, who was already in the squad for the last two games, has been called in early as his replacement.
There is better news for the hosts on the bowling front. Henry, who was also checked after the same collision and missed the Auckland game, has been cleared of concussion and is available for selection. New Zealand remain without Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman, both ruled out before the series began, and captain Mitchell Santner will again have to find runs from a depleted top order.
The weather could have as much say as either team. Persistent rain in Wellington on Friday forced both sides to change their training plans — New Zealand moved indoors to Wellington College while India called their session off — and more rain is forecast for Saturday, with a 60 per cent chance of precipitation in the first half of the day and 55 per cent in the second, according to AccuWeather. The Auckland opener was also interrupted, with the start delayed and two spells of rain totalling around an hour and 40 minutes cutting India’s chase short.
India do have happy memories of this venue. The last time they played an ODI in Wellington, in February 2019, Ambati Rayudu’s 90 rescued them from 18 for 4 before the bowlers sealed a 35-run win. Shubman Gill batted at No. 3 in that game; on Saturday he returns as captain, leading the side for the first three ODIs before handing over to Shreyas Iyer for the final two games at Mount Maunganui.
Mohammed Siraj, who missed the opener after being rested following his 4 for 118 for India A in Christchurch, has rejoined the squad in Wellington and is expected to come into the XI. The predicted Indian side reads: Gill, Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Naman Dhir, Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh and Siraj. New Zealand pacer Blair Tickner, who smashed 34 off 23 balls at No. 11 in Auckland, said the hosts were determined to bat far better and use the bounce and movement Wellington traditionally offers.
After Wellington, the series moves to Hamilton for the third ODI on November 10, before finishing with two games at Mount Maunganui on November 13 and 15.
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