New Zealand vs India, 1st ODI – India Predicted XI

The five-match ODI series between New Zealand and India will begin at Napier on Wednesday. With just 10 games left ahead of the World Cup 2019, the Indian management will look at this series as an opportunity to zero down on the best possible combinations. Moreover, with the Blackcaps playing some terrific cricket in the last few months, these five games will test the players out for sure.

Apart from winning, giving all the players a go out in the middle will be a priority for the team. Players like Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu didn’t have a good start to the new year. Also, the young talents like Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Siraj, and Khaleel Ahmed should get more opportunities to prove their prowess. In such a scenario, this is an extremely important series for India tactically.

Here is the predicted XI of India for the series opener:

Openers (Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan)

Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will continue to open the innings for the first game of the series. The former looked in good touch in Australia and was the third-highest run scorer. In three innings, he piled up 185 runs at an average of 61. Rohit will hope to carry on with the same kind of form and do well for the team.

More than Rohit, this series will be a huge test for Dhawan. Despite the failure in Australia, he has been hitting the ball well. It is important for him to spend more time out in the middle. At a later stage in the series, the management might look at the possibility of resting Rohit and opening the innings with Shubman Gill.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav)

Virat Kohli has got a decent record while playing in New Zealand. With the kind of form he has been in, he should be easily able to counter the conditions in the country. His role at number three against a strong Kiwi line-up will be critical for the team. Ambati Rayudu is expected to be back at number four. After the rusty outings in the Kangaroo nation, Rayudu would have had enough practice and net sessions under his belt. He should be ready to go as he is surely India’s long-term prospect at number four.

MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav will complete the middle-order for India. As preferred by Kohli, Dhoni is likely to bat at number five. The wicket-keeper batsman rediscovered his lost form while playing in Australia and is all set to yield fireworks with his bat yet again. Even Jadhav played beautifully in the only opportunity that he got. He will continue in the side as he also doubles up as a handy part-time bowler but at the expense of Dinesh Karthik.

All Rounders (Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja)

The management will look to test out both Vijay Shankar and Ravindra Jadeja by playing them in the same XI. They can come to a consensus probably after one or two games in the series looking at the performance from these players. Then, one of them will have to make way to accommodate Dinesh Karthik. There isn’t anything much that really differentiated their performances when they played in Australia.

Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal)

India will possibly field a three-pronged front-line bowling attack for the first game of the series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is just about getting back to his best form. The pacer is likely to play all the five games in the series as he is deprived of the much-needed match practice in the last few weeks.

If Mohammed Shami succeeds in New Zealand as well, he is pretty much a surety to seal the spot for the third seamer in the World Cup squad. He has been hitting good areas and bowling at brisk paces. Adapting to the New Zealand conditions as quickly as possible will be the key. After the six-wicket haul in the third ODI, Yuzvendra Chahal is highly likely to edge out Kuldeep Yadav yet again. Chahal is a very intelligent customer and is highly deceptive. He is likely to be successful enough in troubling the New Zealand batsmen.

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