Shreyas Iyer will lead India for the first time in one-day internationals when the visitors face New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday, with a series win on the line and both sides fielding much-changed teams.
India lead the five-match series 2-0 after winning in Auckland and Wellington, both on DLS, before the third ODI in Hamilton was abandoned without a ball being bowled. One more win would give India their first ODI series victory in New Zealand in seven years, since the 2018-19 tour. New Zealand, who can no longer win the series, can at best draw it 2-2 by winning both remaining matches at Bay Oval.
The match marks the start of the series’ second phase. Captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain KL Rahul and seamer Anshul Kamboj have left the ODI camp to join the Test squad in Wellington ahead of the two-Test series starting on November 19, and Iyer takes over as captain with Ishan Kishan named his deputy and wicketkeeper. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stay on for the final two ODIs.
India’s 15-member squad for the last two matches is built around that senior core, and the likely XI has Gaikwad opening with Rohit, Kohli at three, Iyer at four and Kishan keeping wicket, with Axar, Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi providing the all-round balance and Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep and Siraj leading the pace attack. Kuldeep Yadav and Yash Thakur are the other options for the final bowling spot.
New Zealand’s changes are just as extensive. Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips and Nathan Smith have all left for the Wellington Test camp, while Lockie Ferguson is out of the final two ODIs with a calf tear and Blair Tickner serves a seven-day stand-down after being struck on the helmet in Wellington. The hosts have handed a maiden call-up to uncapped pacer Brett Randell for the final two matches.
Matt Henry, cleared of concussion after his training-ground collision with Devon Conway, is fit to return for the fourth ODI, and Kyle Jamieson will stay on for this match too before both join the Test camp. Mitchell Santner continues as captain, with Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke and Jacob Duffy among the options around him.
Kohli, meanwhile, needs no extra motivation: his seven in Wellington took him past Ricky Ponting’s 1,971 ODI runs against New Zealand, and he now has 1,978 against the Black Caps. The match starts at 7:30 AM IST under a kinder forecast than the rain that disrupted the first three games, with the fifth and final ODI at the same venue on Sunday.
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