India secured a 3-2 victory in the T20I series against New Zealand before moving into the ODI phase of the tour. The opening one-day match took place in Auckland on November 4, where India chased a DLS-revised target of 143 after electing to bowl first. That rain-affected victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, with the second match scheduled for Saturday, November 7 in Wellington, where rain has been forecast.
Shubman Gill captains India for the first three ODIs before handing over to Shreyas Iyer for the final two matches. Reflecting on the T20I campaign, Gill acknowledged the leadership and momentum-building performances that shaped the series outcome.
“I think he led the T20 series beautifully. You know, playing in a country like New Zealand and winning the first two matches is never easy, and even more so given the kind of situation we were in in the first and second T20s. Making a comeback from there, you know, those are the kind of matches that completely change the momentum. Now the momentum is with us, having won that series, and a lot of our boxes are ticked. New Zealand will look to come hard at us, which I think we are well prepared for,” Gill said in a video uploaded by the BCCI.
Gill arrived in New Zealand early to undertake additional training sessions, particularly to work on red ball preparation ahead of the Test series that follows the ODI leg. He has not played a Test match in New Zealand, though he has featured in a couple of India A matches in the country. The early arrival allowed him to assess how the red ball behaves in local conditions before joining the main squad.
For India and New Zealand, the ongoing ODI series is a dress rehearsal for the ODI World Cup next year. Gill explained why this series could help India get accustomed to the conditions expected to greet the teams at the World Cup.
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“The conditions that we’re going to get here are going to be a lot more similar to the ones that we’re going to get in the World Cup, especially playing here in early November. Usually, whenever we play in South Africa or in New Zealand or in Australia, we play around December or January, whereas the World Cup is in October and November. So I think the conditions are going to be a lot more similar, and it’s going to be a really good experience for us,” Gill said, as quoted by BCCI.
