India Vs New Zealand ODI Series: India will take on the table toppers of the World Cup Super League points table. New Zealand holds the top spot in that with 140 points.
India is in second position and they are qualified for the ICC World Cup 2023 because they would be the hosts of that ICC fifty-overs event later this year.
The three-match series between India and New Zealand begins tomorrow i.e. Jan 18.
The first match of this fifty-over series will be played at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad tomorrow i.e. Wednesday, 18th January 2023.
This series is important for both teams because of the fifty-overs world cup which will be played in 2023.
As per the preparation point of view, India and New Zealand will look to make a core team for that ICC mega event of the ODI format.
India will be a full-strength side for the three-match series in the one-day international format. But the Kiwis will be without Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
Tom Latham will lead the team in the fifty overs format series while Mitchell Santner will be the captain for the three-match T20 International series which will be played after this ODI series.
So there are some important players from the New Zealand camp as well as the Indian side. The Blues have been in good form off late and they have started their 2023 with a win over Sri Lanka in the T20Is and ODIs.
The home side will look to transfer that form in this limited-overs series against the Kiwis too. Today we shall name five players who will be players to watch out for this one-day international series.
The stand-in skipper of the Black Caps side, Tom Latham holds an important place in the side especially when their regular captain, Kane Williamson isn't there.
The Kiwis won their maiden ODI series in Pakistan and they would be eyeing to repeat that performance in India as well.
But for that NZ will need Latham to fire in this three-match series of the fifty overs format.
After the openers, Latham and Nicholls hold the key in the middle order and Glenn Philips, who batted beautifully in the last ODI match against Pakistan is also a vital batter for the visitors.
Latham has a good record against India and he did well against the Blues in the home series which New Zealand won.
After the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, The Black Caps won that ODI series and Latham played a key role in that.
The King wasn't part of the previous ODI series against New Zealand in 2022. Kohli is in tremendous form and he has scored three centuries in the last four one-day international innings.
He slammed one century against Bangladesh and two against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series which India won by a margin of 3-0.
Virat was awarded the man of the series for scoring two tons in the series and he was also India's highest run-getter.
In this series against The Black Caps, the fans would want King Kohli to continue his blazing form.
With no Southee and Boult in New Zealand’s attack, Virat can step up the paddle and once again dominate the ODI proceedings.
The Kiwis will be without their two main fast bowlers for this series and in their absence, the responsibility will fall on Lockie Ferguson.
As a premier and experienced fast bowler, Lockie Ferguson is the man to deliver for the Kiwis and also a major threat to the Indian batters. Ferguson has experience of Indian conditions because of the IPL.
He can use that to help the Kiwis to win the ODI series without their major star players in their lineup.
Lockie should operate with the new ball as he can generate some early swing because of the moisture in the wicket.
Ferguson can also be dangerous in the backend overs because he has variations to stop the run flow of the Indian batters.
The wonder boy of Indian cricket, Shubman Gill has been going great. He will be surely selected as an opener for the ICC World Cup 2023.
He also slammed his maiden century in the third one-day international match against Sri Lanka at Thiruvananthapuram.
India needs a solid start in this series and Gill has to provide that with the skipper, Rohit Sharma.
The chinaman bowler has been brilliant for India till now. He did well against Bangladesh in the first Test and also against Sri Lanka in the last two one-day international matches.
Kuldeep’s form is a great positive for Team India especially ahead of the world cup. Yadav also won the man of the match award in the second ODI against the Lankan Tigers.
In that match which was played in Kolkata, Kuldeep broke the important partnership and triggered a big collapse.
In this series against The Kiwis, Kuldeep needs to be consistent because the batters from New Zealand also play spin well and they know the magic of Kuldeep.
This series will be a Test for Kuldeep Yadav’s consistency. Yadav would be in that world cup squad only if he performs well.
Otherwise, many spin bowlers are waiting in the wings and they can replace Kuldeep in no time.