India v New Zealand, 1st ODI - India Predicted XI

Team India has been in a rollicking form in the recent times. They have managed to thoroughly beat Windies, Sri Lanka, and Australia in their last three international assignments. Now, the focus shifts to the black caps. The men in blue are all set to host the New Zealand team for a three match ODI series that will be followed by a 3-match T20I series.

The scintillating win over Australia in the ODI series had seen the team India jump to the number one position in the ICC ODI rankings. They recently slipped back to the number two position. However, if India manages to win the first ODI against New Zealand, they will jump back to the top spot. Also, in order to hold on to the top spot, they need to win the series 3-0!

Needless to say, the Indian team will look to put their best combinations forward coming in to the game. With all players performing, including the ones on the bench, the selection conundrums would be serious for the hosts. Here is the India Predicted XI for the match:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma)

At the opening slot, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma look set in the team. Both players could not muster runs in the recently concluded T20I series against Australia. With a couple of low scores to their respective names, both batsmen would be keen to get their act going early in the series. Rohit was phenomenal in the ODI series against the Aussies.

He had mustered a brilliant ton in the final ODI at Nagpur to steer the Indian team home. He had finished as the top run getter for India in the series. On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan has been getting starts in the recent times and is due for a big score. The return of Dhawan sees in-form Ajinkya Rahane being in a spot of bother when it comes to the team combinations.

Middle-Order (Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav)

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is all set at the number three position. He has been a dominating force in the recent times across all the formats of the game. When the chips are down, as was the case in the Kolkata ODI against Australia, it was Kohli who rose to the occasion with a gutsy 92 to his name. He is definitely not short on form.

Talking about form, the one player who deserves the most to be in the playing eleven is Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane had hit four fifties in the five ODIs against Sri Lanka. Needless to say, he has grabbed all his opportunities. However, drafting him in could mean leaving out someone like Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey. For now, Rahane seems to be a certain starter for the game.

At number five, Kedar Jadhav has been playing reasonably well. He had a fifty to his name in the ODI series and then backed it up with a decent show in the second T20I as well, albeit in a losing cause. Kedar can chip in with his handy part time bowling as well.

Wicket-Keeper (MS Dhoni)

In the recent times, there has been an increased pressure on former skipper MS Dhoni. His place in the team India has been questioned time an again. He will have to prove his worth yet again. In the ODIs against Australia, Dhoni looked like a phenomenal force. He hit a match winning fifty at Chennai and then was instrumental with the gloves behind the stumps. Also, his constant chirping helped the bowlers big time.

All-rounders (Hardik Pandya)

Hardik Pandya was the find of the series for the Indian team against the Aussies. Hardik hit two brilliant fifties in the series and bowled reasonably well as well. He has been serving as the fifth bowler with great efficiency. Hardik emerged as the Player of the Series in the ODIs against Australia. He would want to continue his good run against the Kiwis as well to ensure that he is not a one series wonder.

Spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav)

The spin department looks pretty much set for the Indian team. Veteran spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, have been ignored yet again. This has meant that the young duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are all set to bowl in tandem yet again.

Chahal and Kuldeep form a formidable pair of wrist spinners. Given the poor track record of Kiwi batsmen against wrist spinners, both Chahal and Kuldeep must be fancying their chances in the series. They will arrive into the series riding on impressive performances against Sri Lanka and Australia.

Pace bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah)

Team India have the option of fielding Shardul Thakur as a frontline pacer in the match but that seems unlikely considering the fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have succeeded bowling together in the recent past. Also, Shardul’s mediocre outing against Sri Lanka in the two ODIs that he played might not serve well for his case.

For now, Bhuvneshwar has been a top performer with the new ball. Also, his accuracy with the old ball in the death overs is unmatched. Jasprit Bumrah is also very efficient when it comes to bowling with the old ball. Both Bhuvi and Bumrah will have the services of Hardik Pandya as the third pacer in the side.