RAJKOT, India — After a narrow four-wicket win in the series opener at Vadodara, India will take on New Zealand in the second one-day international here on Wednesday, aiming to secure an unassailable lead in the three-match series. The contest at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, traditionally a batting-friendly venue, presents New Zealand with an opportunity to level the series while the hosts look to move 2-0 ahead.
India are expected to make at least one change to their playing XI after Washington Sundar was ruled out of the remainder of the series with an injury. The all-rounder has been replaced in the squad by Ayush Badoni, who has received his maiden ODI call-up. Captain Shubman Gill faces a familiar selection dilemma after several fringe players delivered under pressure in the opening match.
The first ODI underlined that while senior players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma remain central to India’s plans, the inclusion of younger names like Harshit Rana is influencing the team’s tactical approach. As the series moves to Rajkot, team management must decide whether to retain the winning combination or rotate bowlers to manage workloads.
India extended their dominance over New Zealand in the format with an eighth consecutive ODI win since 2023. At home, they have now won eight straight ODIs against the BlackCaps dating back to 2017. The Vadodara victory also marked India’s second-highest successful ODI chase against New Zealand, behind the 316-run chase in Bengaluru in 2010.
New Zealand showed resilience in the opening match. At one stage, with Kohli and Shreyas Iyer well set, India appeared on course for a comfortable win. Rohit Sharma got India off the mark but was dismissed during the Power-play, while Gill started cautiously before finding his rhythm once Kohli joined him. Kohli then took control, striking boundaries and building a century partnership with the captain.
After Gill’s dismissal, Iyer continued in the same aggressive vein, forming another solid stand with Kohli and keeping India in command. New Zealand clawed their way back into the contest when Kyle Jamieson struck three times in seven deliveries, removing both Kohli and Iyer and tilting momentum.
With Sundar injured, Rana was promoted up the order and contributed a useful cameo to ease pressure on wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul. Even after Rana’s dismissal, a limping Sundar came out to bat and, alongside Rahul, guided India to victory with an over to spare. New Zealand pushed India deep into the chase but ultimately fell short in the decisive moments.
With the bat, the BlackCaps showed grit. A mid-innings slump threatened to derail them after a solid start, but Daryl Mitchell’s composure helped them post a competitive total. With the ball, they remained in the contest until the penultimate over.
India, meanwhile, will be aware that there were areas to tighten across all departments and will look for a more complete performance in the second ODI.
Match details:
When: Wednesday, Jan 13, 1:30 PM IST
Where: Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Ayush Badoni
New Zealand: Devon Conway (wk), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Hay, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox. (Source: IANS)
