The Indian players were also given a feel of New Zealand’s traditional folk performance as they took the field for the 1st ODI in Auckland
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Indian players receive special rugby jersey(Photo: BCCI/X)
A special interaction took place between Indian batters Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and former New Zealand rugby player Keven Mealamu right before the start of the first of a five-match ODI series between the Men in blue and the Blackcaps at the Eden Park in AucklandThe cross sports meeting has gone viral on social media.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India took to social media platform X and posted a photo of Gill, Kohli and Rohit receiving custom made rugby jerseys from New Zealand legend Keven MealamuThe sport of rugby is widely popular in the Island nation, who have won the World Cup on three occasions, most recently in 2015They had finished as runners-up in the previous edition back in 2023 at France.
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“A special moment before the start of play Captain @ShubmanGill, @imVkohli and @ImRo45 meet with the legendary Keven Mealamu, a titan of New Zealand rugby and are presented with personalised rugby jerseys,” BCCI wrote on X.
A special moment before the start of play
Captain @ShubmanGill, @imVkohli and @ImRo45 meet with the legendary Keven Mealamu, a titan of New Zealand rugby and are presented with personalized rugby jerseys.
#TeamIndia | @AllBlacks https://t.co/Kw8OLfk1N9
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 4, 2026
The India players were also given a feel of the traditional New Zealand culture right before they took the field for the first inningsThe men in blue entered the pitch with a trumpet-like huge wooden instrument playing in front of them with local artists singing along.
“I just wanted to sayIt’s an honour having you here and I know you must have a million jerseys, but it’s our opportunity to share the ManaMana in our language means sharing the respect but also to share the energy with you,” Keven Mealamu said in a video uploaded by the BCCI.
Interestingly, New Zealand and India have completed 100 years of sporting ties and this all-format series honours a century of their associationThe Blackcaps are also wearing a custom made special jersey for the occasion.
India asked to chase 186
Meanwhile, in the opening ODI of the five-match series, India restricted New Zealand for 185 at the Eden Park in AucklandArshdeep Singh starred with figures of 4/70 while Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar shared five wickets between them.
In response, India lost Rohit Sharma for a six-ball duck but Virat Kohli and captain Shubman Gill steadied things with their 50+ run partnership.
