Former India selector Venkatapathy Raju spoke exclusively to India.com about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s preparations ahead of five-match ODI series against New Zealand beginning on Wednesday.
Published: November 2, 2026, 4:21 PM IST
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Rohit Sharma (right) and Virat Kohli(Photo: IANS)
India vs New Zealand 2026 ODI: After a break of couple of month, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to return to international cricket with the five-match ODI series against New Zealand beginning at Eden Park in Auckland on WednesdayThe star India cricketers, also known as ‘RoKo’, last player international cricket in the ODI series against West Indies at home – which Shubman Gill’s side had won 2-1.
But the ODI series against New Zealand, will be India’s only second one away from home this yearIn their last away series, the Indian side had lost 2-1 to England in July this yearFormer India spinner and selector Venkatapathy Raju spoke to select media ahead of the ODI series and opened up on the challenges that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli can face against the Black Caps.
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IND vs NZ 2026: Gautam Gambhir says Shreyas Iyer’s T20I side has set the tone for rest of the tour
“You can see both of them are more relaxed now because they have so much experienceThey have played all over the world and they have played in all different conditionsI think that adds in the dressing room alsoThe moment they landed in New Zealand last week, they were practicing indoors, then they were practicing outdoors, just trying to get used to it (the conditions),” Venkatapathy Raju told India.com website on Monday.
In 2026 alone, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have 8 more possible matches to goAfter the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, the duo are also expected to feature in three-match series against Sri Lanka next monthRaju believes that the star India cricketers are getting all these opportunities with the eye on the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa next year.
“The main reason they both have been given chances is that they are in the World Cup plansSo I think there’s nothing to doubt about their technique or whateverThe conditions in New Zealand and South Africa might also be differentNowadays South Africa is a little more hotter and during the World Cup, it might be favorable for battingI think more than the batting, the bowling should be the main concern,” Raju felt.
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Indian bowling is unable to restrict opposition in T20I cricket: Venkatapathy Raju
The 57-year-old former India left-arm spinner represented India in 28 Tests and 53 ODI matches in his careerHe claimed 93 Test wickets and 63 scalps in the 50-over format.
Former India selector raised concerns about the Indian bowling attack, who have been unable to restrict the opposition especially in T20I cricketShreyas Iyer’s side lost the last two T20I match after they had won the series by taking a 3-0 lead over New Zealand.
“Already in T20s, where we’re not able to restrict when we put a total on the boardRohit and Kohli are mature enough, they already know what to do, and probably with that experience they should be given a chance to talk with the young boys and form a combination where they can help (Gautam) Gambhir,” Raju said.
“We don’t have the spin twins like with (Yuzvendra) Chahal or Kuldeep (Yadav)When they were there, they were match winners on their ownBut now Axar (Patel) doesn’t have much support at the other endWhen we had (Ravichandran) Ashwin or somebody, his combination with Jadeja was brilliant,” he added.
Kuldeep Yadav’s omission is surprising: Venkatapathy Raju
In all the five T20I matches against New Zealand, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was consigned to the benchIn fact, in the last 35 matches in SENA countries, the Uttar Pradesh spinner has played in only 3 matches.
Raju found it shocking that BCCI selectors were picking Kuldeep Yadav but he wasn’t part of playing 11“We all know wrist spinners are such an asset in white ball cricketThen when you have him in all three formats and he is sitting on the bench, which it’s quite surprisingFor wrist spinners, the more matches they play, the more control they have.
“New Zealand team batters or any batter who are playing against India, they just attack nowadays because we don’t have the variationsThe skill is there, but the variations are lacking in the present setupThat’s why I think Kuldeep has to be given more and more chances because we are trying with different mediumsSo I think if you pick him, you should be partYou might lose a couple of matches, but then bowling in those tight situations, bowling in those international games,” Raju added.
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