Indian captain Shubman Gill elected to bowl first against New Zealand at Eden Park on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to start the five-match ODI series in Auckland.
Light drizzle delayed the toss, according to a BCCI update. Gill noted that overcast conditions made bowling first an advantage, as a scoreboard target could help if weather limits the overs played.
Arshdeep Singh Takes Early Wickets in Auckland
Arshdeep Singh dismissed Will Young for 9 runs in the fifth over. Singh followed this in the ninth over by removing Henry Nicholls for 9, with Naman Dheer taking the catch, as reported by Live Hindustan. Shreyas Iyer caught the first dismissal.
New Zealand reached 71 for 2 by the 14th over.
Shubman Gill said – "We will have floating approach for no.5 and no.6. Our top four is set, all right-handers. So if lefty is needed, Axar bhai goes and depending on match situation even KL bhai can go. So bit flexible". (Sahil Malhotra). pic.twitter.com/R97IEnyWbs
Anshul Kamboj conceded only one run in his first two overs, while Akib Nabi conceded 27 runs in four overs, according to Live Hindustan.
Gill Details New Batting Order
Shubman Gill revealed a restructured batting order in Auckland to handle different match situations. The top four positions are fixed with right-handed batsmen, but the middle order will remain fluid.
As reported by ETV Bharat, the planned top order features Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, Virat Kohli at number three, and Shreyas Iyer or Ruturaj Gaikwad at number four. Gill also expressed high regard for Hardik Pandya’s potential impact on the lineup once he returns.
BCCI Rotates Specialist Bowlers Due to Short Series Intervals
The specialist bowlers—Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj, and Akib Nabi—have a combined total of only 29 ODI matches. Singh holds 18 and Brar holds 9.
The rotation occurs because of the short interval between the ODI and Test series. National Thoughts reports that Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the ODI series, while Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana are unavailable due to injury.
Shubman Gill said – "Hardik Pandya is a great player, you know the qualities that he brings to the team. Not many players in the world possess those qualities. To be able to have a fast bowling all-rounder, who can bowl at any facet of the game with the new ball, mid-overs and… pic.twitter.com/8UEqLhJ3WK
Ishan Kishan will serve as vice-captain for the final two matches of the tour.
New Zealand Faces Injury Changes
Devon Conway will miss the match after sustaining a head injury during training, with Tim Seifert stepping into the side, according to AajTak. Dainik Bhaskar also noted that Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra are absent from the New Zealand lineup.
Series Schedule for the Five ODIs
The series continues with the following schedule, as detailed by APN News Hindi:
- November 4: Auckland (Eden Park)
- November 7: Wellington (Henry Stadium)
- November 10: Hamilton (Seddon Park)
- November 13: Mount Maunganui (Bay Oval)
- November 15: Mount Maunganui (Bay Oval)