India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match: The Indian men’s cricket team will begin its 2026 calendar year with a three-match One Day International series against New Zealand at home. The matches will be played on January 11 in Vadodara, January 14 in Rajkot, and January 18 in Indore. The Board of Control for Cricket in India is expected to announce the squad later this week. Shubman Gill is set to return to the ODI setup and will lead the side against the Black Caps. Gill missed the South Africa ODI series in November and December 2025 due to a neck injury but has since regained full fitness. Gill’s first ODI assignment as captain came against Australia in October 2025. India lost that series 2-1. The upcoming home series presents another opportunity for Gill to register his first ODI series win as captain.
Gill’s return could impact the place of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the playing eleven. Jaiswal opened the innings against South Africa and scored an unbeaten century in the third ODI at Visakhapatnam. However, he is likely to move out of the starting lineup with Gill back in the side. Senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are expected to be included in the squad. Rohit currently holds the top position in the ICC ODI batting rankings, while Kohli is ranked second. The selection of Shreyas Iyer remains uncertain. He has not played a competitive match since suffering an injury on Oct. 25, 2025, while fielding in Sydney against Australia. Even if Iyer returns, Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to retain his place after scoring a century at No. 4 in the second ODI against South Africa.
KL Rahul will continue as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the ODI format. Reports suggest that Rishabh Pant will not be picked for the series. Ishan Kishan is expected to be named as the backup wicketkeeper. Kishan has been in strong form and was included in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad earlier this month. All-rounder Hardik Pandya and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah were rested for the South Africa ODIs and are likely to be rested again. Spin options Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to feature, along with pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna took four wickets in the third ODI against South Africa but struggled in the first two matches. The selectors may weigh his form against that of Mohammed Siraj, who played the ODI series in Australia but was left out of the South Africa tour.
Likely India squad for New Zealand ODIs:
Shubman Gill (captain)
Rohit Sharma
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Virat Kohli
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shreyas Iyer
KL Rahul (wicketkeeper)
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
Ravindra Jadeja
Washington Sundar
Kuldeep Yadav
Harshit Rana
Arshdeep Singh
Mohammed Siraj
Prasidh Krishna
