Shubman Gill-led India will face Michael Bracewell-led New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot on January 14.
Washington picked up an injury
Ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand, India suffered an early setback with Rishabh Pant being ruled out due to injury. During the first ODI on Sunday, January 11, Washington Sundar also picked up an injury, sidelining him for the remainder of the series. The selectors have named Delhi’s Ayush Badoni as his replacement, but with head coach Gautam Gambhir favouring all-rounders, India could opt for either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Badoni likely to feature in the playing XI. Amid all these concerns, the spotlight will be firmly be on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both in the latter stages of their careers. In the opening match, Kohli narrowly missed his 54th ODI century, but his 93 off 91 balls played a crucial role in setting up India’s win. In the opening match, skipper Shubman Gill played a composed half-century, while vice-captain Shreyas Iyer fell just one run short of his fifty. Rohit Sharma will again aim to provide India with a solid start at the top.India will look to sharpen their spin department
However, India will need to sharpen their bowling, especially the spin department. In the previous game, the pacers picked up wickets by cleverly mixing their pace, and the spinners will be hoping for more assistance from the surface at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. Despite losing the first ODI, New Zealand would take confidence from pushing India close even in the face of Virat Kohli’s fine innings. With India cruising towards the target, Kyle Jamieson’s impressive spell brought the contest back to life. Left-handers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls provided New Zealand with a strong start, putting on 117 runs for the opening stand, but the middle order failed to build on that platform. The visitors will be keen to address this area moving forward. India’s Predicted Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreays Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy/Ayush Badoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, KL Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna New Zealand Predicted Playing XI: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, WA Young, DJ Mitchell, Mitchell Hay (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (C), JA Clarkson, KA Jamieson, Zak Foulkes, Adithya AshokSource link















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