IND vs NZ 1st ODI: India Win Toss, to Bat First Against New Zealand; Surya and Kishan Included in Playing XI

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss in the first ODI against New Zealand at Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18, and he opted to bat first.

The ‘Hitman’ hinted that he wanted to nullify the due factor and wanted to challenge his boys to defend the total.

“We will bat first. Looks a good pitch, little dry. We want to make sure we want to bowl under lights and defend score,” said Rohit while toss at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

Days after beating Sri Lanka 3-0 at home, the Men in Blue will be looking to keep their impressive record at home intact.

FOLLOW: IND vs NZ 2023 Live Score, 1st ODI Latest Updates: India Win Toss, Opt to Bat First in Hyderabad

“We did well against Sri Lanka, but this is a different challenge. Important for us to keep the momentum going. The spirit in the team is really good,” added Rohit.

The Men in Blue etched their names in the history books after beating Sri Lanka by a world record 317-run margin in the final ODI. However, New Zealand are the top-ranked ODI team in the world, and they will be a hard nut to crack.

The Kiwis will be led by stand-in captain Tom Latham and they come into the series on the back of an ODI series win over Pakistan.

India will be without the likes of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Axar Patel, and Rohit made three changes to his playing XI.

Hardik Pandya comes in, while Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have also been included in the team.

The visitors are also without some of their key players, but Latham remains eager to see how those who have traveled to India will fill in for the seniors.

“We are missing a couple of key guys from the Pakistan series, but it’s an opportunity for the other guys. We love coming to India and experiencing all that the country has to offer. Most of the squad has pretty much played a good number of games,” said Latham.

India vs New Zealand playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner

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